I Will Find You
by DaeFaely
Summary: "He's in there," the young princess said assertively. "And whatever it takes, however long I have to fight, I'm getting him out of there."
1. Chapter 1

Sofia cheerfully walked down to the throne room. She was surprised when she saw Cordelia and Calista there.

"Sofia!" Calista exclaimed when she saw her favorite princess.

"Hi Calista," Sofia responded. "Hi Miss Cordelia. What brings you two here?"

"A message from my father," Cordelia replied. "He's sick today otherwise he would have delivered the message himself. I also wanted to go see Cedric if he is not too busy. I have a question for him."

"Oh," Sofia said. "I hope Mr. Goodwin gets better soon. I'll go get Mr. Cedric and tell him you're here."

Before anyone could comment, Sofia took off running through the halls to go get her friend, not hearing Calista calling out and asking her to wait a moment for her.

Sofia arrived to Cedric's tower, smiling. She knocked then threw open the door.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia exclaimed.

"Merlin's mushrooms! Sofia!"

Sofia's smile disappeared as a blinding light filled her vision and she felt herself get thrown back. Pain seared through her as whatever spell or potion Cedric had been working on exploded. As her vision faded out, Sofia thought she saw a faint pink glow at the bottom edge of her sight.

Calista was almost up to the workshop when the tower shook violently, knocking the young girl down.

"Sofia! Uncle Ceddy!"

Calista got back up and ran up the remaining steps. When she saw the ruins and Sofia lying unconscious and injured on the ground, Calista stopped so fast that she nearly fell backwards. Stunned, the younger girl stared at the mess, realizing that her uncle was nowhere to be seen.

"Uncle Ceddy?" Calista called out, scared.

No answer came. Even more scared than before, Calista ran back down the stairs and back to the throne room.

"Mummy!" Calista cried. "Something happened in the workshop! Uncle Ceddy is gone and Sofia is hurt!"

Calista's cry earned gasps from everyone there- Cordelia, King Roland, Queen Miranda, and the twins. Alarmed, everyone went running up to the tower. Cordelia and Calista looked around further for Cedric while the royals gathered around Sofia. Amber knelt by Sofia's head and pushed what remained of her scorched bangs back from her soot covered face.

"Is she going to be okay?" Amber asked.

"I don't know," Miranda choked back a sob.


	2. Chapter 2

Sofia slowly opened her eyes. It was very dark, except for a few candles, so the young princess figured that it was probably nighttime. She tried to sit up but was greeted with so much pain that she slumped back down into her bed with a small groan.

"Sofia? You're awake?"

Sofia looked towards the sound of her sister's voice.

"Amber? What happened?"

Amber stood up from the window seat and sat on the edge of her sister's bed. She grabbed a small vial from off the nightstand.

"Here, drink this," Amber instructed. "Cordelia and Calista made this to speed up your healing."

With some help from Amber, Sofia sat up enough to drink the potion. Once she had drank it, Sofia laid back down.

"Thanks," Sofia said. "Back to my question. What happened?"

"We don't entirely know," Amber said. "You had gone up to Cedric's tower to get him because Cordelia and Calista were here and something happened up there. A spell gone wrong or something. Calista was following behind you and said that the tower shook like there was an earthquake. When it stopped, she found you unconscious and the workshop charred. Do you remember anything?"

"Just Mr. Cedric yelling my name and a blinding light," Sofia said. "And being knocked down by something. Is Mr. Cedric alright?"

Amber paused, not being able to tell her dear, sweet, and still very injured sister that her best friend and mentor disappeared.

"It's hard to say how Cedric is doing," Amber said after a moment. "Oh, Baileywick brought a tray of food up not very long ago. Are you hungry?"

"A little bit," Sofia admitted.

"Alright, I'll help you sit up so you can eat, then you need some more sleep."

With some effort, the blonde sat the brunette up, putting lots of pillows wherever they were needed most. Sofia ate a bit of fruit and some bread with butter and jam, slowly and with much effort. After the small meal, Amber helped Sofia to lay back down.

"Rest now Sister dearest," Amber said. "I'll let the others know that you've woken up then I'll be back. We've been taking turns staying with you. So if you wake up and need something, just ask. Someone should be with you at all times until you're able to get up and move on your own again."

"Thank you Amber."

Sofia closed her eyes and even though everything that had happened was haunting her mind, she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: Unfortunately, dear readers, things are going to get a lot worse for Sofia before anything gets better. She is in for one wild adventure.**

**All that said, I own nothing!)**

The next morning, Sofia woke up to bright light. Amber was no longer in the window seat, watching over her. In her stead, was Miranda. Sofia smiled a bit then looked down, noticing something that she hadn't the night before- bandages wrapped around her. A lot of them.

"Mom?" Sofia said softly.

Miranda looked up.

"Good morning Sofia. Amber mentioned you woke up in the night. How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a dozen flying coaches," Sofia said.

"It's probably time for more of that potion that Cordelia and Calista made for your healing," Miranda said. "The doctors weren't even sure you'd make it through the first night. Amber yelled at them for those comments. She said if you were tough enough to face down a wicked sorceress alone in an amulet, you were tough enough to live through burns, cuts, and a huge bump on the back of your head. Here, open up."

Miranda tipped the contents of a small vial into Sofia's opened mouth. Sofia swallowed the bitter tasting potion.

"Mom, how long has it been since the accident?"

"Five days," Miranda answered. "The first day was a huge fight for your life. I think if it hadn't been for some quick thinking on Calista's part, you wouldn't have made it. It was her idea to make the healing potion."

"Okay," Sofia said. "Amber couldn't tell me much last night but I would really like to know how Mr. Cedric is doing."

Miranda looked down.

"Sofia, we don't know. He completely disappeared. Calista and Cordelia searched the tower for any traces of him but they found nothing. We had hoped that when you woke up, you would be able to give us a clue but that didn't appear to be the case."

"No," Sofia said softly.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Miranda tried to console her daughter.

"No!" Sofia yelled. "He can't be gone!"

"Sofia, please calm down," Miranda said gently.

"Just leave me alone," Sofia snapped. "Go away!"

Miranda was stunned at the outburst. She quietly stepped out of the bedroom but not before she heard her daughter's cries.

"Is she okay?"

Miranda turned to see Roland there.

"I just told her about Cedric's disappearance," Miranda said. "She needs some time alone. Did I do the right thing, telling her so soon? She only woke up for the first time during the night. I don't think she's noticed what else is not as it should be."

"Miranda, she was going to find out sooner or later," Roland said. "And considering her bond with him, she was going to have a huge outburst like this, whether we waited to tell her until after she was completely healed or not."

"It just hurts to see her hurting like this," Miranda said.

"We're all hurting for her," Roland said. "Give her some time. She will be okay. She is strong."

Miranda nodded.

* * *

A few hours later, Sofia heard someone enter the room.

"Go away Mom," Sofia said.

"I'm not Mom, dear sister," a feminine voice said sweetly.

"Oh, hi Amber."

"I thought you might like to have a bit to eat," Amber said. "Baileywick is going to bring up some more food as soon as it's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"Sofia, you've been five days without eating much and you need your nourishment to heal," Amber scolded. "So whether or not you think you're not hungry, you're eating something."

"Fine."

Amber sat on the edge of Sofia's bed.

"What's wrong, Sofia?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Cedric disappeared?"

Amber took Sofia's bandaged hand gently.

"Mom and Dad told James and me to let one of them tell you. They said it would be best if you heard from one of them. I'm so sorry you've lost your best friend Sofia. I know he meant a lot to you. I wish I had some way to take away your pain but I don't. All I can really say is that I believe you're going to find him. If he's out there somewhere, you'll be the one to find him and bring him home."

"Do you really think so Amber?"

"I do."

"Then I will never stop fighting until I can bring him back."

"There's my strong willed sister. And whatever life throws at you, don't you dare give up."

The two sisters sat- well Amber sat while Sofia continued to lay- in silence for a few minutes.

"Amber, I think I am hungry," Sofia said. "After all, I will need my strength if I'm going to start searching for Mr. Cedric."

"Good," Amber said. "And perfect timing too. I think I hear Baileywick coming this way with that food."

Seconds later, a polite knock sounded before the door opened. Amber was proven right as the faithful steward rolled in a cart with a variety of foods on it.

"Princess Sofia, it is so good to see you awake," Baileywick said."You gave us all quite the scare. How are you feeling?"

"I'm still very sore but not as bad as when I first woke up," Sofia said. "And a little bit hungry."

"Well, I have food right here for you," Baileywick said. "The doctor is going to come in later today to change your bandages and see how your wounds are. If you need anything, you know who to call for."

"Thank you Baileywick."

"Baileywick, will you help me sit Sofia up so she can eat?"

"Of course Princess Amber."

Moments later, Sofia was sitting up and nibbling at the food offered.

"Amber, did you really yell at the doctors when they said they didn't think I would make it?" Sofia asked.

"Oh sweetie, I did a lot more than that," Amber said with a slight mischievous smile. "I threatened them with the dungeon and possible banishment from the kingdom if they didn't do everything in their abilities to save you."

Sofia giggled. "Well, isn't Dad the only one who can banish people from the kingdom?"

"Yes, but I gave that threat as the future queen of this kingdom. If I can't banish them now, I'll wait until I'm queen, then banish them."

"You are a wicked genius," Sofia said with another giggle.

"What can I say? No one is failing my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister."

"All the more reason for no one to fail you. Especially on my watch."

"Sofia smiled then looked down a bit. As she did, she noticed something missing.

"Amber, where's my amulet?"

"There were some bad burns on your neck so I took it off and have placed it in the top right drawer of your vanity. It's just until your neck has healed properly and won't be irritated by the necklace."

"Okay," Sofia moped.

"Cheer up, Sofia," Amber said. "You're healing, thanks to the combined efforts of the doctors and the healing potions created by Cordelia and Calista, you're awake and eating, and you're going to be an unstoppable force on your path to finding Cedric. And last night when the doctor was checking the burns on your neck, something was said that in a couple more days, you should be just fine to don the amulet again."

"Those couple days won't be able to pass fast enough," Sofia said.

Amber giggled. "Come now, sister dear, eat your food so that you're ready when the doctor gets here to check on you."


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: It is such an Amber thing to yell at someone. And to the guest reviewer who mentioned Sofia having healing powers, that would help her quite a bit right now ; )**

**Truth be told, Ive been listening to Elton John's Circle of Life as I've been writing this. In the second verse, it talks about how some people have to live with the scars of their hardships. And Sofia, like or not, is going to have a lot of them to live with. You guys should really listen to that song.**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia smiled as she woke up the next morning. The reason for her smile became clear as she looked on the other side of the bed. Amber was soundly sleeping, having stayed the night with her sister. Sofia rolled off of her side and onto her back. Although it still hurt, Sofia was starting to be able to move around.

A soft, polite knock sounded on the door and Baileywick entered with some food, Miranda following right behind him.

"Hi Baileywick. Hi Mom."

Sofia smiled.

"Good morning Sofia," Miranda said. "Thank you Baileywick, that will be all for now."

The steward bowed then left. Miranda helped her daughter to sit up, careful not to wake Amber up.

"How are you feeling today, Sofia?" Miranda asked.

"Still hurting, but good."

"I'm glad you're feeling good. The doctor didn't check the wounds on your head yesterday. So he's going to be back in a little bit to do so."

"Okay," Sofia said, before reaching for a scone off of the tray of food.

"Sofia, before the doctor does check your head, I need you to be aware of something. I was going to tell you yesterday, but since you were very upset about Cedric, I decided to wait a bit."

"What is it?"

"Sofia, a fair bit of your hair was burnt in the accident and in order to be able to treat other injuries on your head easier, the doctor had it completely cut off. It was the best thing that could be done and where some spots were very short anyways due to being scorched, doing this would allow for your hair to regrow evenly."

Sofia reached up to her ever bandaged head. Feeling it, she realized she didn't feel anything that would resemble hair curled up under the bandages. Then a thought came to her mind.

"Wait, if my hair ended up being cut off due to bad burns and other injuries, how is my face okay?" Sofia asked. "Amber helped me to look in a mirror yesterday and my face was okay."

"That is one thing we haven't been able to answer," Miranda said. "You did have some very small cuts and burns on your face but it was just mostly covered in soot when you were found. There's still so many questions that we all have about what happened in the tower but no answers."

"I wish I hadn't passed out when I did," Sofia mused. "Maybe then, we'd have some more answers."

"We can't change the past Sofia, but you can change the future."

"I know," Sofia said.

Silently, Sofia continued to eat breakfast.

oOo

The next week passed relatively quickly. Sofia was able to start doing more and more each day but still had to remain fairly heavily bandaged and mostly lying down in bed. But after a week, most of her bandages were off, including the ones on her neck.

That particular morning, Sofia stiffly changed into a soft, loose fitting dress. She looked at herself in her mirror and sighed. There were a few scars that likely would never disappear and seeing herself with no hair was a bit disturbing.

A knock sounded on the door and Amber pranced in.

"Hey Sofia, that's a nice dress."

Sofia looked at her sister and gave a weak smile.

"It's comfortable," Sofia said softly. "Since my body is going to be stiff for a little bit, I figured something soft and loose would be best."

Amber lovingly embraced her sister.

"It's going to be hard Sofia, but you're one of the strongest people I have ever known. You flew in the derby, faced down Vor by yourself, became a protector, and changed a sorcerer from a misunderstood man with evil plans into a great man. And even if these scars never go away, you're still beautiful."

"Thank you Amber. What would I do without my favorite sister?"

"Go crazy trying to keep up with James."

The girls laughed, something that felt good for Sofia. Amber looked at her sister with a smile. Her eyes widened a bit as she noticed something.

"Hold on Sofia, something's missing," Amber said. "Close your eyes."

Sofia did as she was told. She heard Amber opening a drawer and figured that her sister was pulling out the amulet from its hiding spot in the vanity. Sofia inwardly rejoiced at the thought of having the pink jewel around her neck again. After a moment, Sofia felt a familiar weight on her neck as Amber, indeed, put the amulet on her sister.

"Okay open your eyes."

Sofia opened her eyes.

"Now look in the mirror. Do you know what I see? A beautiful, confident princess that I love dearly. And don't let anyone make you believe that you aren't beautiful."

Sofia looked into the mirror and started to smile seeing the purple jewel-

_Wait. Purple?!_


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: You guys are a hoot! I can't tell you how much I was laughing while reading your reviews from the last chapter!**

**I own nothing!)**

_Sofia looked into the mirror and started to smile seeing the purple jewel-_

_Wait. Purple?!_

Sofia gasped as she realized that her amulet had turned purple.

"Sofia, what is it?" Amber asked concerned.

"Amber, when did my amulet turn purple?" Sofia asked. "It hasn't been purple since Elena was trapped in it. It turned pink after she was released."

Amber stared at the necklace and gasped.

"You're right. It must have been something from when the accident happened. When we found you, there was a small spot of purple but none of us thought much about it. We were more worried about you."

Amber thought for a moment. Then her eyes widened.

"But by the time I took it off of you that night, it was completely purple," she exclaimed. "I completely forgot."

"You don't think that Mr. Cedric somehow got pulled into the amulet, do you?" Sofia asked.

"It would explain why no one has been able to find him anywhere. We've got to go talk to Dad. We'll get permission to go to Avalor and try to get him out. How did you get Elena out?"

"I needed the wand that was used to put her in the amulet. It belonged to the sorceress who took over her kingdom, Shuriki. I had to take the wand and the amulet to an ancient ruin in Avalor."

"Sofia if you needed the wand that trapped Elena to free her, won't you need the same for Cedric? And what if there wasn't a wand involved? You got pulled into the amulet once, without a wand involved."

"If I have to search beyond a wand, then so be it. I'm getting Cedric out of there, whatever it takes. Now come on, we need to get Dad's permission to go to Avalor."

Sofia took Amber's hand pulled her out of the room. They hurried down to the throne room where Roland and Miranda were discussing something softly.

"Dad! Mom! I think I know what happened to Mr. Cedric! I need to go to Avalor right away!"

Roland and Miranda looked up shocked.

"What? Avalor? Why there?" Roland asked.

"Amber and I noticed something about the amulet. It turned purple after the incident and as far as I understand, it only does that if someone is trapped inside of it. It could be why there was no trace of Mr. Cedric after the accident. There's a ruin in Avalor that is like a hospital for magical mishaps. It's where I went when I freed Princess Elena from the amulet."

"It may have turned purple but that doesn't mean that Cedric is in there," Roland said.

"Dad, I have to try. I'll go up to the tower and collect all his wands that are up there and take them to the ruin in Avalor. Nothing's going to stop me. If I have to leave in the middle of the night without your permission just to do this, I will."

"Okay Sofia, let's not do anything rashly," Miranda said. "You're just barely recovering from the accident. Today is your first day at full activity after over a week of mostly being confined to bed. If you must go to Avalor to do this, wait another week just to make sure you're fine and ready for the trip. Avalor is not a short distance from here."

Sofia took a deep breath.

"I may go with your permission if I wait a little bit?"

"One week," Roland emphasized. "And you're not going alone."

"I'm going with her when she does leave," Amber interrupted.

"Not what I had in mind," Roland said.

"I've already told I would go with her," Amber continued. "So we'll take this week to prepare and send a message to Elena so that she knows we're coming. We'll plan to stay a couple nights in Avalor so that we have some time to rest before returning."

"We're not going to be able to talk you two out of this arrangement are we?" Miranda asked.

"Nope," Sofia said.

"If that is the case then so be it," Roland said. "But one thing I will put my foot down on is that you travel with no less than five guards, in addition to the sailors on the ship."

Sofia and Amber looked at each other with slightly exasperated expressions.

"Fine," the two princesses deadpanned.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: Can you guys blame King Roland for being a little overprotective? His two daughters are going on a trip. One of them is the heir to the throne and the other was recently in an accident and still healing physically from it. Of course he's going to be worried about them and their safety.**

Sofia held a bag containing Cedric's wands with a furious grip. Amber opted to say nothing to her seething sister.

The two were returning to Enchancia after a weeklong stay in Avalor. It had been a frustrating trip. None of the wands worked to free Cedric and one of Sofia's wounds that supposedly was healed, reopened. So now, not only was Sofia frustrated at failing, she was also in physical pain from the wound.

"Land ho!"

Sofia looked out from her perch at the bow of the ship. Seeing the approaching castle did nothing to help the young princess's mood. Making sure that none of the crew was watching her, Sofia dove into the water, shifting into a mermaid as she went in. Careful of the ship, the teenage princess swan at a furious rate to reach the shore before the ship did. At the shore, Sofia transformed back into a human then took off running towards the castle, ignoring the pain that coursed through her body.

"Sofia!"

Sofia came to a halt as she looked up. She saw the rest of her family coming out to the docks, no doubt to greet the returning princesses and inquire about the trip.

"Sofia, how was the trip?" Miranda asked. "Did you succeed?"

"Do you see Cedric with me?" Sofia snapped.

"I'm sorry you weren't able to…" Miranda trailed off, noticing something that caused her eyes to widen. "Sofia! You're bleeding! Did you accidentally reopen a wound?"

Sofia looked at the left side of her stomach to see blood staining her dress.

"It'll be fine," Sofia said.

"Sofia-" Miranda started.

Sofia's hand shot into the bag containing the wands and pulled one out. She flicked the wand over her head.

"Lacus towerus!"

The bleeding princess disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. She appeared in Cedric's tower which had not been cleaned since the accident. Sofia shook her head and pointed the wand in her hand at no particular spot.

"Restorato immediato!"

Within moments, the tower was cleaned and repaired. Energy near depleted, Sofia collapsed on on a nearby chair. After a moment, Sofia began to cry. She cried for her lost friend. She cried for the failed attempt to bring her friend back. She cried because of the pain coursing through her body. She cried because of her exhaustion. She cried because she had a hard time looking at herself in the mirror with all of her scars and missing hair.

After a while, the tired princess leaned back into the seat and fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with memories of trying the different wands at the Maruvian ruins and each wand failing to bring back Cedric.

oOo

The next morning, Sofia woke up with a start. She was no longer in Cedric's tower. Instead, she was in her own bed. Sighing, Sofia stood up, wincing as she moved her aching body. Deciding to change out of her blood stained dress and rebandage her stomach, Sofia stepped over to her vanity where spare bandages were being kept. It took awhile but eventually the princess was ready for the events of the day.

Wincing, Sofia left her room and walked down to the throne room. When she got there, not only was her family there, but also Cedric's.

"Princess Sofia, how are you?" Winifred asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," Sofia said with no trace of emotion in her voice.

"Your sister tells us that Cedric is still stuck in the amulet," Winifred continued. "She also mentioned that one of your wounds reopened. That must have been hard. Are you sure you're fine?"

"What do you want me to tell you?" Sofia said sharply.

"Perhaps that he isn't even in the amulet?" Cordelia mentioned.

Sofia was about to respond when a dull ache hit her head. She placed her fingers at her temple to try and ease the throbbing.

"Sofia?"

.

_"Sofia!"_

_Cedric looked at his young friend and apprentice as the spell started exploding. Realizing the impending danger, the sorcerer ran towards the young princess, his vision being filled with bright light. A burst of magic sent him flying forward as a choice spell escaped his mouth._

_"Protegra!"_

.

Sofia gasped as the memory faded away and the pain in her head disappeared. She looked down at the amulet and saw a glow slowly disappearing.

"Sofia, what happened?" Miranda asked.

Sofia clutched the jewel tightly.

"He's in there," the young princess said assertively. "And whatever it takes, however long I have to fight, I'm getting him out of there."

Sofia released her grip on the amulet then ran out of the throne room and all the way up to the tower. Once she stopped, Sofia felt her stomach ache horribly. She looked down and saw that the wound had bled through the bandages and was staining her dress.

"Whoops," Sofia said breathlessly. "I'm going to need a lot of bandages if that keeps opening up."

A beam of light escaped from the amulet and rested on one of Cedric's spell books. Sofia grabbed the book and pulled it out.

"'Healing spells and potions'" Sofia read. "Of course. Let's see what we have in here."

Sofia opened up the book and flipped through the pages until she came to a spell for small wounds.

"'Say the words and wave the wand in a small circle over the wound'" Sofia read, while reaching for a wand. "Sana immediata!"

Sofia's stomach glowed red. A tingling sensation spread over the area, causing Sofia to tense up a bit. After a few seconds, the glow and tingling disappeared, as well the pain. The dress was still stained but it wasn't the first dress to need special attention.

Smiling slightly to herself, Sofia started pouring through the spellbooks that surrounded her. After a couple hours, the princess came to a spell that intrigued her. It wouldn't help her get her friend out of the amulet but it was interesting, all the same. Sofia studied the words of the spell and the casting instruction for a while.

"Mr. Cedric, if you're seeing the spell that I'm about to try, I hope you won't mind," Sofia said. "It will just be until you're back. Then I'll undo it."

Sofia looked at the words one more time then grabbed the wand. She hurried down the steps of the tower and out the main entrance. Sofia looked up and down at the tower and sighed. She went over to a nearby rose bush and pricked her finger on the tip of thorn. When a drop of blood appeared, the princess smiled in satisfaction. Sofia carefully smeared the blood drop on the tip of the wand, then pointed it at the tower.

"Towerus prohibus exturnus!"

A beam of light hit the tower and spewed purple smoke over it.

"Sofia, what are you doing?"

Sofia didn't even glance at her approaching sister. She didn't even say anything in response, continuing to concentrate on the spell. After a minute, the beam of light protruding from the wand disappeared and shortly after, the smoke followed suite, dissolving into the tower.

"Sofia, what have you done?" Amber asked.

"I've made it so that no one but me will be able to enter into Mr. Cedric's tower. I will be responsible for the tower and everything that happens in it. When I bring Mr. Cedric back, I will undo the spell."

"Sofia, what's the point in doing that?" Amber asked. "It's great that you're learning new spells but why cast a spell like that?"

"So I have a place to go to study and learn whatever I need without being interrupted."

"Did the spell work?" Amber asked.

"Want to find out with me?"

Amber sighed but walked towards the tower. When she got three feet away from the entrance, she hit what felt like an invisible brick wall. Sofia smiled briefly then started walking to the entrance herself. She was able to go in with no problems.

"I guess it worked," Sofia said, once she came back out of the tower.

"I guess so," Amber said. "Sofia, did that wound reopen? Your dress looks awful. You need to have it sent to the wash maids immediately."

"I know, I know," Sofia said. "I found a healing spell in the tower that's for small wounds. Hopefully, the wound will heal and stay healed."

"I hope so too," Amber said. "You'll lose a lot of blood and ruin all of your dresses if you keep having wounds reopen like this."

Sofia shook her head slightly. Somethings would never change. Amber wrapped her arm around her sister and started guiding her away, talking about what dresses Sofia should try wearing that would be extra comfortable. As the two princesses walked away, two older sorcerers watched unnoticed, and giving each other knowing looks.


	7. Chapter 7

_Some of us fall by the wayside_

_And some of us soar to the stars_

_And some of us sail through our troubles_

_And some have to live with the scars_

_-Circle of Life, Elton John_

_Two years later_

Sofia, now fourteen, slammed a book shut in frustration. It was a book on jewelry of the ancient Maruvians, so the princess had thought that she would find an answer in them, but had been disappointed.

"Two years and nothing!" Sofia snapped. "Why even did I think I could do this?"

Sofia stormed up to a mirror in the workshop and glared at her reflection. Most of her scars from the accident had not gone away and for some reason, her hair was refusing to grow back normally. Winifred had told the young princess that it was probably a side effect of the spell going wrong that fateful day.

But still, seeing some parts of her hair growing back quickly, some spots very slowly, and the rest not at all, had gotten on the young princess's nerves. So she had obtained some razors and shaved her head, keeping herself completely bald. Sofia had a wig that she used as needed for school and royal functions but mostly went without covering her bald head.

Not able to look at her reflection any longer, Sofia grabbed an empty vial off of the nearby desk and threw it at the mirror. The mirror and vial shattered and Sofia sunk to her knees, ignoring the pain as the broken glass pierced her legs.

From her neck, the amulet pulsed- something that Cedric often did from inside whenever Sofia wanted to quit. Sofia looked at the amulet and choked back a sob.

"I wish I knew everything that happened that day," Sofia said. "Maybe then, I would have the missing parts needed to free you from there. But, you can't even seem to give me those answers."

The amulet gave off a soft, almost melancholy, glow before returning to purple.

Sighing, Sofia stood up. She flicked her wand at the glass, muttering a spell to repair the broken mirror and vial. Within seconds, the glass shards had formed back into their respective pieces of equipment.

Needing a break, Sofia walked out of the tower. As she closed the door, the princess was surprised to see Baileywick standing there.

"What is it Baileywick?"

"A messenger arrived moments ago from Avalor," the old steward answered. "He's talking to your parents in the throne room."

Sofia started to walk towards the indicated room but paused after a moment and turned around.

"Thank you Baileywick."

Sofia hurried to the throne room. She saw the messenger, sporting Avalor's colors. He turned to the princess and bowed.

"Princess Sofia," the messenger said. "So good to meet you. I'm Bruno. Queen Elena sent me. She thinks that Mateo, our wizard, may have found a clue for you. Queen Elena and Mateo hope to see you soon. Mateo also says to bring your best wand."

"Thank you Bruno," Sofia said, before turning to face her parents. "I'm going to pack a small bag, then I'll leave right after lunch."

"Sofia," Roland said. "Tonight is the family dinner with your aunt and uncle and your grandmother. You may pack your bag today but wait until tomorrow morning to leave."

"But Dad," Sofia started.

A familiar sensation flooded the young princess's body and in the corner of her eye, she could see the amulet glowing. Sofia sighed and lifted the hem of her dress enough to look at her feet. Similar to when Cedric had been cursed with iron fists, Sofia's legs, from the knees down, had been turned to iron.

"Cedric!" Sofia scolded softly, taking the amulet in her hands. "Do you have to do that to me anytime I get invited out to Avalor for a lead?"

The amulet glowed momentarily. Sofia had no doubt her favorite sorcerer was smirking from within the jewel.

"Bully," Sofia said softly. "I don't know how I manage to get anything done with you in there, cursing me."

"Does he curse you often?" Miranda asked.

"No," Sofia said. "He certainly isn't against turning my feet to metal when I want to leave without permission, though. I know how this goes. He won't return my feet to normal until I promise to wait until I can leave with permission. Especially since he knows how I feel about broken promises. Alright Cedric, you win! I will wait until the morning to leave. I promise."

Sofia's feet sparkled and returned to flesh and blood. Deciding to get ready for her trip, the young princess hurried to her room. Inside the safe cover her room provided, Sofia gently grasped the amulet in her hand.

"But just because I've promised to wait until the morning, it doesn't mean I have to be a happy camper during dinner tonight," Sofia said.

The amulet elevated out of Sofia's hand and stretched a few inches away before launching itself at the princess's neck, leaving a small red mark.

"Ow," Sofia said. "Cedric, was that really necessary?"

Receiving no answer, Sofia shook her head and got to work packing her bag, filling it with a few spell books and a few dark colored peasant dresses.

Much to Amber's chagrin, Sofia had filled her wardrobe with plain dresses that she had gotten from the village as well as some sorceress robes. Sofia's reasoning was that they were more comfortable than royal gowns and were perfect for her work, studying sorcery and traveling far and wide in search of a way to free Cedric. Amber still couldn't quite understand her sister's choices in wardrobe but gave up trying to talk her out of it. After all, Sofia was still her sister, and she did also have a few royal gowns hidden in the far back of her closet for royal functions that she had to attend.

Several hours later, Sofia mostly pushed food around her plate as her family socialized. She wanted more than anything to be in Avalor at that moment.

"Sofia, how is the quest to free Cedric going?"

Sofia looked at her aunt and forced a smile.

"It's been a little frustrating recently," Sofia admitted. "The book you brought me a couple weeks ago has nothing in it that helps. But a messenger from Avalor arrived today saying that Queen Elena and Mateo may have something for me."

"Why that's whiz-bang!" Tilly said.

"Are you going to have to miss school again to go out to Avalor?" Grand Mum asked.

"Oh, I didn't even think about that," Sofia said. "I guess I need to have a message sent to the headmistress."

"I'm surprised you're allowed to miss school that much and not be expelled," Grand Mum said.

"It's because I always get the homework made up very quickly," Sofia said. "And while the headmistress doesn't know much about why I'm constantly absent, she does know that someone's life depends on my absences. Mom, Dad, may I be excused please? I'd like to go to bed early so I can leave early."

Miranda nodded. "Go ahead Sofia."

"Thanks Mom."

Sofia left the dining area quickly and quietly. In her room, Sofia adjusted the time on a clock that she had spelled to wake her up at whatever time she adjusted it to. Smiling to herself, Sofia looked at the newest time- four thirty in the morning. With a smirk, the determined princess pulled a vial out of her pocket. It was a potion that would help her to fall asleep quickly and to sleep very soundly. She was going to need it for the travels ahead of her.

oOo

The next night, Sofia in her mermaid form, arrived on the shore of Avalor. Using a speed potion, she had reached the distant land in record time. It did wear her out, swimming so fast for so long. So when she saw the royal carriage waiting at the docks, Sofia smiled.

"Sofia! So good to see you!"

Sofia saw Elena step out of the carriage. Smiling, the Enchancian princess shifted back into a human as she lifted herself onto the dock.

"How early did you leave this time?" Elena asked.

"Five o'clock in the morning."

"Wow," Elena said. "That's a long time to be swimming. You must be exhausted. Come have a rest for the night. We'll get to the lead tomorrow."

Sofia nodded, too exhausted to insist on finding out what the lead was that very moment.

The next day, Sofia didn't wake up until after lunch. Her body ached from swimming so long but she ignored it, like she had many other instances of pain resulting from her pushing too hard, and got dressed. Choosing to ignore her wig, Sofia opted for a lightweight handkerchief to cover her bald head. Pleased with the plain but comfortable outcome, Sofia walked stiffly to the throne room, where Elena was signing an important looking document.

"Sofia, you've woken up!" Elena exclaimed. "Come on in. Armando, let Mateo know to come down immediately then fetch some refreshments for our guest."

Armando bowed then left the room.

"Isabel was so excited when she found out you were coming," Elena said. "She wanted to be there to greet you but she fell asleep early."

"That is very sweet," Sofia said. "I'll be certain to say hello to her before I head back to Enchancia."

The two royals continued to talk while they waited for Mateo to show up. After a few minutes, the young wizard appeared.

"Sofia, how are you doing?" Mateo asked.

"Not bad," Sofia said. "Anxious to see this new lead though."

"Of course," Mateo said. "It's a part of an ancient text I'm came across while studying. It's not complete but I thought it would be useful to you."

Mateo held out a wrinkled piece of paper. Sofia read the words on the page. They were all too familiar. She had read the full passage from the book she finished just a couple days before.

"I've seen this before," Sofia said. "My aunt found a book about the jewelry of ancient Maru and this is a passage from that book. I tried this spell and it did nothing."

"What if you need to be at the ruins for this spell to work?" Elena asked. "Ancient Maruvian jewelry, Maruvian ruins, it's at least worth a shot, right?"

"Perhaps," Sofia said. "How soon can we go out there?"

"You eat something first, then we'll go out there," Elena said. "By the looks of things, you're still exhausted from the swim here."

Sofia nodded. She hated to admit it, but she was still tired and hungry. The food would be very welcome.

oOo

Two days later, Sofia sluggishly pulled herself up onto the docks at the Enchancian castle. The visit to the Maruvian ruins had not helped in trying the spell and when Sofia had left early the next morning, she was even more frustrated than before. Looking up at the night sky, the exhausted princess figured it was past midnight. Hoping not to be spotted, Sofia weakly stood up and started walking slowly to the castle.

Just as she was getting to her room, Sofia heard something and lifted her wand defensively.

"Hey Sof! Did you do it?"

Sofia blinked at the sound of her brother's voice. She lowered her wand and pocketed it.

"No. Their lead was something I had already seen and tried. What are you doing up?"

"Rex woke me up," James said. "It must some interesting dream he's having because he keeps growling and whimpering. I'm just walking around for a bit before going back to bed."

"Of course," Sofia said. "James, don't tell anyone I'm back please. Once people realize I'm back they'll be all over me and I'd like to sleep for a while. I'm very tired."

"Okay Sof," James said. "Sleep well."

Sofia nodded slightly and went into her room. As soon as her head touched her pillow, Sofia fell deeply asleep.

**(A/N: Yeah, so those of you who have paid attention know that I don't use quotes at the start of my chapters. But this quote from "Circle of Life" is such a great saying. And in the next couple chapters, we're going to see a lot of the mental and emotional scars that Sofia has to deal with as a result of the accident.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: A few chapters ago, I got more than one comment about how Roland was being overprotctive. I hate to through him under the bus but he's not going to do very well coming up very soon. Not this chapter though. But soon, very soon, he's going to botch things up really badly. Why I'm giving a spoiler, I have no idea.**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia looked boredly through a book in Cedric's tower. It had been a few weeks since her trip to Avalor and Sofia was flat out miserable. She had a diminished appetite and had lost weight as a result. She also wasn't sleeping well so she had bags under her eyes. Sofia decided she almost looked like Death itself one day when she looked in a mirror.

Sofia turned the page and what she saw brought back an old memory.

.

_"Thank you for bringing me back, Mr. Cedric the Great."_

_"Yes, well, it's about time someone noticed. See you inside, Sofia."_

.

Sitting up straight, Sofia grinned.

"Here we go Mr. Cedric."

Quickly, Sofia took the amulet off and placed it on the ground, ignoring how cold it had turned as Cedric disapproved from inside the amulet. Sofia grabbed her wand and pointed it at the purple jewel.

"Amareen! Evincit! Totum!"

A burst of magic shot out of the wand and hit the amulet. The magical burst filled the workshop with bright light and after a minute, Sofia's vision blurred. The last thing she could make out was the magical burst fading.

When Sofia woke up again, it was fairly dark in the tower, indicating that it was either late in the evening or early in the morning. She wasn't sure which. Sofia sighed and started to close her eyes again when she realized that something wasn't quite right.

First off, there was a soft mattress underneath her. Second, her amulet was back around her neck. Third and finally, one of Cedric's old robes had been placed over her to provide her with some warmth.

Startled, Sofia sat straight up. She looked at the amulet but it was just as purple as it had been before she tried the spell.

"Oh good, you've woken up. That was quite irresponsible, trying that spell all by yourself and while so new a sorceress."

Sofia looked up to see Winifred watching over her.

"How'd you get into the tower?" Sofia asked. "I enchanted it so that no one except me could."

"Yes," Winifred said. "No one except for you can get in here, through ordinary means. That portrait over there of Goodwin and me is enchanted. We can enter into the tower at will through that portrait. Your spell can do nothing against it. Not even Cedric could do anything to keep us from coming through and he's a full fledged sorcerer."

Sofia nodded slightly.

"Winifred, what time is it?"

"I'd say it's close to eight o'clock in the evening. You've been out cold for a few hours."

"Okay," Sofia mused. "I probably should clean up the mess I made then go to bed. Thank you for making sure I was okay."

"Hold your horses Sofia," Winifred said. "We need to have a little chat. I spoke with your parents while you were unconscious and they agreed that this needs to happen and I'm certain Cedric does too."

"What is going on?" Sofia asked.

"I've confiscated all the wands from the tower," Winifred said. "I've also placed a spell that will keep you from being able to access any of the books and potions in the tower. You are working yourself to death trying to find a way to bring Cedric back."

"Don't you want your son back?" Sofia fired at the older woman.

"More than you can imagine," Winifred said. "But not at your expense. It isn't healthy for you to keep pushing yourself so hard to bring him back. You're still in school, you have your protector duties, and you still need to have time to just relax. You haven't been taking time to relax. Your parents indicated that you speed through your schoolwork and meals just so you can get back to work in the workshop. You're going to bed late and waking up early and speaking of early mornings, I've also confiscated that clock of yours."

Sofia's eyes widened. The older woman was messing with quite a lot.

"I also understand you haven't visited your friends very much," Winifred continued. "So, here is the deal. You will do nothing related to getting Cedric out of the amulet for one month. You're going to relax, visit with your friends, do activities with your siblings, and slow down with the schoolwork and eating meals. And get some good sleep. Then after a month, I will return the wands and lift the spell on the books and potions. And if afterwards, you go over the edge trying to get Cedric out, I will confiscate the wands again."

Sofia scoffed. Winifred shook her head.

"Sofia, this level of obsession you have with getting Cedric out is not healthy," Winifred said. "Just now, when you tried to get Cedric out, if you had been any less powerful with the wand, you could have killed yourself. It took a lot of effort for Cedric to cast that spell to get you out all those years ago and he had help. Even with the help that he had, he nearly passed out. And even if you were at his level of power and skill, the spell wouldn't have worked. It only worked bringing you out because you had just barely gone in."

Sofia sighed. "I just want him back," she said. "I feel like I'm responsible for him being in there. If I hadn't gone to his workshop at that moment, he could have completed the spell without interruption and he never would have wound up in the amulet. Whether or not I meant to, I put him in there. And having been in the amulet myself and talking to Elena, I know it is not very pleasant. There's nothing to do except to watch what the wearer of the amulet is doing and give them powers or curses."

"Is that why you've been pushing yourself so hard?" Winifred asked. "Because you feel like this is your fault?"

Sofia nodded before pulling Cedric's cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"Sofia, it was an accident. Accidents do happen. I don't think Cedric blames you for it. Otherwise he probably would have given you the most rotten curse he could think of the moment you put the amulet back on. And your parents did mention that he has cursed you more than once."

Sofia nodded. "The curse of iron feet," she said, smiling slightly. "That's his favorite one to use. It's hard to leave without permission when your legs are iron from the knees down. He also turned me into a giant version of myself. It's hard to undo your wrongdoing when you're ten times bigger than you normally are."

"Oh, the older and more skilled in magic you are, the easier it is to be cursed by the amulet," Winifred said. "And having someone inside the amulet is not going to help. But Sofia, back to the issue at hand. Will you agree to relax for one month?"

"It will be hard, I think," Sofia said. "But I'll do it."

"Good," Winifred said. "Feel free to come visit us at Mystic Meadows. If memory serves well, Calista is going to come visit us for a few days, starting tomorrow. She asks about you all the time, you know. She expressed a deep wish to see you, last time she visited us. She's taken it very hard that you've been so busy that you've hardly been able to see her."

"Then maybe I'll come out tomorrow," Sofia said, before a yawn escaped. "I think I'm just going to skip the cleaning and go straight to bed. Maybe I should get a bed put in here for me, should I ever wear myself out too much to make it back to my room."

Winifred chuckled before stepping over to the portrait.

"Just don't go overboard. Goodnight Sofia."

"Goodnight Winifred."

After Winifred had stepped through the portrait, Sofia decided to just sleep on the mattress that Winifred had conjured up. Wrapping the cloak around her tighter, Sofia breathed in the faint scent of her friend. After a couple of moments, the young princess was sound asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: You guys! Your reviews had me laughing! Yes, Winifred is pushing some personal boundaries here. But if someone is going to tell Sofia to take a break, it has to be someone who wants Cedric out of the amulet just as much as she does. Cause if it were someone like... Roland... well... Sofia probably would not listen and if he were lucky, she wouldn't curse him.**

**To set this in stone, the only inspiration for this was a comment on a YouTube fan video that I watched a few weeks ago. This is not a rewrie of an older story. And if you guys decide to ask which video it was and what the comment said, I can't tell you. At least not yet. So don't ask.**

**I own nothing!)**

The next morning, Sofia woke up feeling better than she had in a long time. Being able to admit why she pushed herself so hard had taken a weight off her shoulders that she hadn't even realized was there.

"Well, I suppose I should head down to breakfast," Sofia said, gazing at the amulet.

Sofia stuffed the mattress out of sight and put Cedric's cloak back where it belonged. Then she headed down to the dining room where the rest of her family was already eating.

"Oh Sofia, you're just in time," Amber said. "I was just telling Mom and Dad about Cleo's invitation to her play tonight. She has the lead role."

"That's wonderful," Sofia said.

"Isn't it? We're all invited. You'll join us won't you? It won't be the same without you."

Knowing that she had nothing else to do for a month and that her parents were in on the magical grounding, Sofia nodded.

"Sure, I'll come."

"Really?" Amber asked.

"Sure, why not? I was going to go out to Mystic Meadows for the morning. I heard Calista is visiting Winifred and Goodwin for a few days and I haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh Sofia, I'm so glad you're going to join us this time. Cleo was asking about you the last time I saw her. Of course, you must enjoy your trip to Mystic Meadows. Be sure to be back by four. We're going to leave for the play at six and I have a surprise for you before we leave."

Sofia smiled. "Okay."

After finishing breakfast, Sofia fetched Minimus and took to the air. A gentle breeze touched her cheek and the princess smiled.

"I almost forgot how good it feels up here. I've done so much magical transporting, it almost feels strange to just fly on a horse."

"So we're going to fly together more often?" Minimus asked.

"Absolutely! Now let's get to Mystic Meadows."

Mere minutes later, Sofia was enjoying fly cakes with Calista and her aging grandparents.

"These seem better than usual, Winifred," Sofia commented. "Did you do something different?"

"I'm flattered dear, but Calista actually made them with her mother," Winifred replied.

"Really? These are delicious Calista. You did an amazing job."

The young sorceress in training blushed.

"Thanks, Sofia," Calista said. "Mummy said they're Uncle Ceddy's favorite treat so I asked her to teach me how to make them."

Looking at the younger girl, Sofia realized that Calista had to be missing her favorite person just as much as she did. In that moment, Sofia resolved to do better at visiting her dear friend's family. After all, she was the only link they had to him.

oOo

"Whoa! Amber, slow down!"

At her sister's insistence, Sofia had a blindfold on. Now, the blonde princess was pulling the bald princess a little too fast through the halls.

"Sorry. I'm a little excited."

"I'll say," Sofia quipped.

"Okay, here we are."

Amber took the blindfold off her sister. Sofia had to take a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brighter light then she saw it. A dress was laid out on her bed. Sofia picked it up and examined it. It was a light shade of purple with a slightly darker purple belt. The neckline was rounded and high up. The sleeves got wider, starting at the elbow. The skirt and sleeves had a diamond pattern embroidered on the hems in the same color as the belt.

Sofia stared for a moment. She had not expected her sister to push the fashion issue again.

"Amber, I don't know what to say," Sofia said truthfully.

"You don't have to say anything," Amber said. "I just wanted to give you something that would be nice but comfortable. I had Madame Collette use her softest materials for this. Regular dresses haven't been very comfortable for you. I just wanted to try and do something nice for you."

Sofia held the dress up to herself, feeling the fabric underneath her fingers.

"One way to find out just how well you and Madame Collette did.

Sofia stepped behind her changing curtain. Moments later, she stepped out wearing the dress. It had been made to fit just a little bit loosely but it was hardly noticeable. Trying it out, Sofia twirled a bit in the dress, enjoying the flutter of the skirt around her legs.

"Amber, I think you actually did a great job," Sofia exclaimed. "It's very comfortable and soft. I love it. Thank you."

"Oh, I'm glad you like it."

"Just don't get too many ideas about my wardrobe. It is still my wardrobe."

"Of course."


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: Mr. Shortman92, to be honest, when I read your review, I started rereading my posted chapters. Multiple times, I might add. I'm still trying to figure out what you're seeing that I'm not. As to me updating frequently... I have most of the chapters written at this point and a good few more that still need to be written. Why not update frequently? But since you are apparently seeing something that I'm not, I would love to hear from you on what it is. I actually love constructive feedback. And this applies to any reviewers, give me your feedback.**

**I own nothing!)**

_One year later_

Sofia sat at Cedric's desk, once again, writing some notes on a scrap piece of paper. She had noticed that some of the supplies she frequently used for potions and spells were low so she was making a list. She was also going to be making a stop to Hexley Hall to return some books that she had borrowed from its library.

With a new headmaster put in after Grimtrix's imprisonment, Sofia no longer had to worry about her safety when she went to the sorcery school. But still, when she went, she hid the amulet under her dress. She had no wish to repeat parts of her first visit to the school.

A shimmer outside the window caught Sofia's attention. The invisible wall that kept everyone out pulsed slightly to let the teenager know that someone was there. Sofia glanced out the window and saw Baileywick waiting patiently at the door.

With a sigh, Sofia put down her quill and went down the steps to see what the steward wanted.

"Hello Baileywick," Sofia said.

"Princess Sofia, your father is asking for you in the throne room," Baileywick said.

"Very well," Sofia said. "Tell him I will be on my way shortly."

Baileywick bowed and left the tower to relay the message. Sofia sighed again and went back up to grab her list, a bag that held the books to be returned, and a new flying broom that Calista had given her for her fifteenth birthday. Once she was certain she had everything she needed for the trip to the market and Hexley Hall, Sofia headed down to the throne room, wondering what her dad wanted to see her about.

Upon entering the throne room, Sofia tensed up a bit. Except for Roland sitting in his throne, the room was completely empty. The princess had decided almost a year ago that these sort of talks were ones to be dreaded.

"Sofia! Come on in!"

Sofia stepped lightly over to her dad. His tone was a happy one but the teenager was not completely at ease about having an one on one chat with her dad.

"I'm not in trouble am I?" Sofia asked. "I've been making sure to take periodic breaks in my sorcery and amulet studies. I've joined the family more often for outings. Admittedly, I do still sometimes push too hard but I'm trying to not go overboard."

"You're not in trouble, Sofia," Roland insisted. "I just wanted to tell you something. Since you're getting older, you're going to be expected to show up more often at royal functions."

Sofia bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. She had known this day would come, she just didn't want it so soon.

"And when you turn sixteen next year, suitors are going to start coming out," Roland continued.

Sofia decided to stop holding her tongue.

"And most of them won't accept me as I am," the princess said tearsly. "They'll only see a bald and scarred young woman with an unladylike interest in sorcery. They won't see me for me."

"You don't know that, Sofia," Roland interrupted.

"I do know that! And do you want to know how I know that? It's because a lot of my own classmates at school treat me like the plague for being different! They'll act nicely to my face but when they think I'm not listening, they'll laugh at me, acting as though they think I'm less than them for bearing scars and wielding a wand."

Sofia gripped her broom tightly, an action noticed by her dad.

"Sofia," Roland said with a sigh. "Not all your peers are like that. I know you know that. It shows when Vivian invites you to Zumaria for a day of enchanted music or when Cleo makes sure that you know you're invited to her plays or even when Hildegard sends you bouquets of nettledrop flowers. You have peers who accept you as you are."

"But suitors are not happening for me, Dad. What high ranking man would accept a sorceress princess who will come with a lot of baggage? Face it. No one outside of this family, except a few people, will accept me as I am."

Sofia stormed out of the throne room, not even waiting for her dad to excuse her. As quickly as she could, the young princess got on the broom and took to the air. She would have just gone back to the tower so she could avoid everyone, but the young princess still needed to run her errands.

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Sofia zoomed through the sky towards Hexley Hall.

A few hours later, after she had returned the books, got a few new ones to study, and been to the market, Sofia was noticeably calmer but still not ready to return home. Realizing she was fairly close to Mystic Meadows, Sofia headed there, hoping that Cedric's parents were not too busy.

Landing at the cottage, Sofia saw Winifred talking with some of her friends in the gardens.

"Why Sofia! I didn't expect to see you so soon. Is anything the matter?"

Winifred's friends politely excused themselves and left quietly. The older sorceress put an arm around the princess and guided her inside.

"Let me put on some tea and we'll talk over some fly cakes."

Sofia nodded numbly as she set her broom and bag down. Moments later, some lemon lavender tea was ready and fly cakes set out. Sofia barely touched any of the offerings.

"Now what would be on your mind?" Winifred asked.

"Dad says now that I'm older, I have to start attending more royal functions. And he also mentioned suitors coming into the picture once I turn sixteen. He doesn't understand! What man in their senses would accept me? I'm bald! I'm covered in scars! And I still am fighting to free Cedric from the amulet!"

Winifred nodded. "What man in his senses wouldn't accept you?" she asked. "Behind the lack of hair and the numerous scars is a beautiful young lady. A lady who is loyal, ready to fight for those who are closest to her, and very intelligent. Maybe you don't see all of that when you look at yourself in the mirror. But I do. And so does your family. And I bet you still have some close friends who see who you are behind your looks."

Sofia sighed before staring at the cup in her hands.

"People talk about me at school and at royal functions when they think I'm not listening."

"And people talked about Cedric and he managed to ultimately show them all that he really was a great sorcerer and an even better person. Ruthless people will talk down about those who are around them. It is our own choice whether or not we let their words have power over us."

"Our own choice," Sofia repeated softly.

"There are quite a few people in the world who refuse to accept those who are different than themselves or maybe even less skilled at something than they are," Winifred continued. "They think that by mistreating those people, they become better. Really, they just paint themselves in ugly colors. Show them that their hateful words can't hurt you. It will make them lose their sense of power over you."

Sofia shrugged slightly.

"Sure, it is not going to be easy. But you can do it. You've accomplished a lot since becoming a princess. You can do this too."

Sofia took a fly cake from the tray and broke it in half.

"I just don't understand why Dad can't see how hard this is for me," Sofia said. "I made a promise that I would get Cedric out whatever it takes. But Dad wants me to start appearing more at royal functions and seeing suitors after I turn sixteen. How is all of that going to affect my journey to free Cedric? Especially when suitors come into the picture?"

"I don't have all the answers, Sofia. What you might try though is talking with your father again."

Sofia opened her mouth to interrupt but the older woman spoke quicker.

"He may not always seem like it but he does have your best interests at heart, just as much as if you were his child from the very beginning. He loves you, Sofia. Those royal functions and suitors are a part of the life of a princess though. Talk with him again. Tell him you understand that he wants the very best for you but that your wishes and desires are important. Try asking for a compromise. Attend a few more social functions than you normally would and agree to entertain an occasional suitor after you turn sixteen. Agree to be cordial to potential suitors. Who knows? One of them may be very accepting of everything about you that makes you special and even support you in trying to free Cedric."

"Seeing suitors is a thought I don't relish," Sofia admitted. "I've known for a while that it was something that would happen but I don't want any part of it. Not right now anyways."

Winifred chuckled. "Well, when you are ready, the person for you is going to have a handful with your determination and bigger than life personality."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll understand one day."

Sofia almost argued but stopped. Nodding, she glanced at the time. It was going to be dinner time soon.

"Thank you for talking with me Winifred," Sofia said. "It's about time for me to return to the castle."

"Of course," Winifred said. "You are welcome here at any time. Be sure and talk with your father."

"I will."

Sofia grabbed her broom and bag and quietly flew back to the castle, thinking about what the wise old sorceress had to say.

At the castle, Sofia quietly slipped into the kitchen and placed some items for her dinner in a basket. Once she was content with the items in the basket, the princess transported up to the tower so that she would be undisturbed, deciding she would talk to her dad the next morning. After eating a bit of the dinner, Sofia looked in the mirror.

"I'll never be beautiful."


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: Wise Owl- don't fret too much. Sofia will free him. Eventually. She just has a lot of little adventures and mishaps on the way. One of them is coming up very quickly. Mr. Shortman92- stop reading if you must once the suitors come into play. They aren't a huge deal in the long run. And I'm a huge Cedfia shipper too. I don't care that there's a bit of an age gap between them. They are just amazing together. ; ) Also, I went back and fixed those two little typos you pointed out.**

**I own nothing!)**

_One year later_

Sofia sat on a picnic blanket out in her spot in the royal gardens. She was not looking forward to that night.

That day was Sofia's sixteenth birthday and there was going to be a huge party that night. She would have just liked to skip the whole ordeal but as she knew from the parties for Amber and James a few months prior, it was not something she could miss. Not without insulting her family and the kingdom's allies.

Sighing, Sofia laid down on the blanket and looked up at the sky. Some days she wished for the simple life that she had lead in the village.

A rustling nearby caught Sofia's attention and she looked at the door to her spot in the garden. Amber opened the door and stepped in.

"Happy birthday, Sofia!" Amber exclaimed. "Can you believe it? You're sixteen now."

Sofia forced a smile.

"I just wish it didn't have so many strings attached to it. I still don't want to deal with more royal functions and the addition of suitors. But both were part of my agreement with Dad last year."

Amber sat by her sister.

"Do you think you're any closer to finding a way to get Cedric out?"

"No. And I haven't been able to find very much recently that might be able to help. It's starting to feel a little hopeless."

"You're not giving up are you?"

Sofia sat up quickly, startling her slightly older sister.

"Never!" Sofia said. "I've sworn I will find the way to get him out and I will. Even if it takes to the end of my life, however long or short it may be."

"And don't ever give up," Amber said. "You've come a long way in the last four years. As hard as it has been, you've not once given up. Each time life has knocked you down, you've gotten right back up."

Sofia smiled. "What did I do to deserve such an amazing sister?"

Amber blushed slightly. "Oh Sofia, you didn't need to do a thing. It was meant to be. Now come on. Madame Collette is looking for you to do the finishing touches for your gown for your party."

Sofia smiled knowingly. The dress had been finished a long time ago. Sofia just had Madame Collette play along with the little scheme that the younger princess had in mind.

oOo

Sofia smirked as she got ready to enter the party for her. Her guests were in for a huge surprise, as well as any potential suitors. She had had Madame Collette pretend to be making a grand gown for the party as well as the royal wig maker pretend to be making a special wig for the occasion. If they actually made a gown and wig, Sofia was not using either one of them.

Hearing the trumpets announcing her entrance into the party, Sofia stepped through the doors and into the sight of everyone attending. The deafening applause from the guests died very quickly as it became apparent what Sofia had done.

She was wearing a black dress similar to what Amber had given her two years ago but with cap sleeves and not quite as high a neckline. And the princess wasn't using a single covering for her head- no wigs, no shawls or handkerchiefs- nothing. The outfit showed many of the scars from the accident. And any make up the maids might have put on her earlier had been washed away.

Sofia stepped forward.

"Thank you all for coming," the princess said sweetly. "It is an honor to have so many wonderful guests here. I hope you will all enjoy your time here tonight."

Sofia joined the crowd and chatter resumed. Before the princess could get very far in greeting her guests, a hand tightly clutched hers and dragged her off to the side.

"Ow, Amber! Not so hard!"

"Sofia, what did you do?" Amber all but hissed. "I thought you were going to be in a grand ball gown and wig. What is all of this?"

"This is my party, Amber," Sofia retorted. "I should be able to dress in a way that is comfortable for me. And this will help me sort through any suitors who are nice on the surface but won't accept me scars and all. This is me, Amber. This is my statement to the royal world that I am who I am. Now if you'll excuse me, I still have a lot of guests to greet."

Sofia left her stunned sister behind as she went back to greeting her guests. As she did, the bald princess paid particular attention to the young men who could end up a potential suitor. Sofia wanted to commit to memory those who she felt would only accept her if she put on her best gown and wig.

"Princess Sofia, that is a most unique gown."

Sofia turned to see King Magnus. The young Enchancian princess put on her best smile, hoping that her dislike of the pompous king didn't show.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see you," Sofia said as sweetly as she could muster.

"Yes, I'm sure it is. Tell me now Princess. Why the lack of one of your wigs? You would look even better if you had one on. As well a dress that didn't show those ugly scars."

It took every ounce of control Sofia had to remain polite.

"I thought about both," Sofia lied through her teeth. "But none of the wig makers I've gotten wigs from can make a wig that is comfortable for me. And most designs for royal gowns irritate my scars. And the baldness and scars are a part of who I am. So I went with comfort over looks."

King Magnus scoffed and walked off. Glad to be done with conversations with the arrogant visitor, Sofia continued on with greeting her guests. Before the night was over, the princess got a lot of remarks about her appearance. Some nice, some very poorly veiled insults. But the princess didn't care. She was finally starting feel comfortable in her own skin.

oOo

"Sofia!"

Sofia sat up straight, startled awake. After the party ended the night before, the teenager had changed into a more comfortable sorceress gown and retreated to the tower, wanting to look at a gift that had been sent to her from Avalor. Sofia never made it back down to her room. She fell asleep in the workshop.

"Sofia, come down here now please!"

Sofia looked out the window from the bed and saw the shimmer in the invisible wall, telling her that someone was waiting outside the door. Her visitor had to be yelling quite loudly if he was able to wake her up. Sofia walked over to the window and looked down to see her dad standing at the door. Although Sofia couldn't see his expression very well, the body language spoke of a great deal of irritation. Sofia disappeared in a puff of purple smoke and reappeared behind her dad.

"Good morning Dad," Sofia said with a smile.

"What was with that stunt you pulled last night, Sofia?" Roland demanded. "Gossip is flying high this morning because of how you appeared at the party. King Magnus left a note saying that you are an embarrassment to the kingdom and that until you are contained, Rudistan will have no further trade with us."

"Is that what you think of me?" Sofia asked. "That I'm an embarrassment that needs to be contained? For the first time in years I felt comfortable with how I dressed. And nothing about what I wore was indecent."

"You're supposed to put on your best looks for royal functions! Image is huge when you're a royal. And for you, that image involves a wig and a little bit more coverage of your scars."

Sofia flinched as if her dad had just hit her.

"Am I considered less in your eyes because of my scars and baldness? I did not ask for the accident that caused this. I didn't ask for one of my best friends to be imprisoned in a trap that is not easily reopened. And I certainly did not ask for condescending remarks, especially from my own family! You once told me that despite having no blood relation to me, I was your real daughter and that you loved me. Is that still true? Am I still your real daughter? Do you still love me regardless of the challenges that I have because of the accident?"

Sofia didn't give her dad a chance to answer as she transported to her own bedroom. After casting the spell to keep everyone but herself out, Sofia screamed in anger. She threw open her closet doors and started ripping her royal gowns apart. She threw dusty jewelry that she never used at the windows, breaking both. Shoes got thrown out the shattered windows. Fancy trinkets joined the shoes in going out the windows. Sofia pointed her wand at the many pieces of furniture in the room and caused each of them to explode. Sofia blindly reached for something else to get rid of but stopped short when she recognized it as the dress Amber gave her two years prior.

The dress itself didn't fit very well anymore as Sofia had grown but she still kept it as it represented the unconditional love that she was certain her family would provide as she navigated the new world that was Sofia's. Looking at it, Sofia fell to her knees and buried her face in the soft fabric. Tears streamed down her face as the young princess wondered why even her own step dad had to be so hard on her for things out of her control.

After several hours of curling up in a ball and crying more tears than she thought she had, a familiar shimmering of the invisible wall caught Sofia's attention. She clenched her hand into a fist and opened it again. An image appeared above her hand showing Amber outside the door, holding a basket in her hands. Sofia sighed. She didn't have much desire to see her family, especially not Amber or Roland. She especially didn't want anyone to see what she had done to her room.

Sofia was about to close her hand and make the image of her sister disappear when she heard Amber say something softly.

"Sofia, I know you're in there. Let me in, we need to talk. I brought some food too, if you're hungry."

Sofia sighed and made the image disappear. Doing nothing to hide the disaster she had created, she opened the door, grabbed Amber's arm and pulled her inside. Seeing the mess her slightly younger sister had created, Amber stared.

"Whoa," Amber said. "Now, I knew you were mad but I didn't think you were capable of getting this mad."

"What do you want?" Sofia said. "Are you going to criticize me for my choices last night too? Or rather, again?"

"No," Amber asserted. "I owe you an apology. It was your debut ball last night and you had every right to wear what you felt good in. I once told you that you're beautiful no matter what anyone else thinks and last night I joined the ranks of anyone who can't see you for who you are."

"What does it matter?" Sofia said. "The last several hours have been very enlightening. Even your dad is among those who are criticizing me for being different."

"What do you mean?" Amber asked in shock. "What happened?"

Sofia recounted the conversation that took place that morning. Amber was beyond stunned at what Roland had said.

"I can't believe he said all of that," Amber said. "And what does he care about King Magnus showing once again that he is pompous and prideful? He's always been that way and it's always driven Dad insane trying to deal with him."

"It doesn't matter now. I don't belong here. Your dad just proved it a few hours ago. I embarrass him. It's time I returned to my roots, the life of a village girl."

"But what about your quest with Cedric? You're not giving that up are you? And what about Mom? James? And me? We're still sisters."

Sofia stood up and walked into the closet. Amber followed closely and watched what the bald princess was doing. Sofia took one of her travel bags off of its hook and stuffed a couple of her plain dresses into it. Amber watched in shock as a few choice wands went in as well a couple of sorcery books.

"We are still sisters," Sofia agreed. "We'll never lose each other. I just need to go away for some time. And my quest to free Cedric will never stop, just because I won't be here. I can continue my quest just as well from the village."

"You'll at least write me and let me know how you are, right? Just hearing that you're going to leave is making me sick with worry. And you know that once Dad comes to his senses, he'll send out search parties for you. How do you plan to remain hidden from him?"

Sofia looked at her sister. She reached over and plucked a hair right off of Amber's head and placed it in an empty vial.

"I remember seeing a spell somewhere for changing hair color and design. Hopefully it'll work for wigs. And I know of a very small, very hidden away village. I read some stories about it in my studies. It will have everything I need. It's even fairly close to a magic marketplace."

Amber nodded numbly. "Just please, write me when you can. And if I can do anything for you while you're away, please let me know."

"I'll try to write. And thank you Amber. I need to go up to the tower for a bit and grab a few items from there. Once I'm done up there, I'm leaving."

Amber tightly embraced her sister. Sofia returned the embrace before going up in a puff of purple smoke, leaving her sister's arms cold and empty.

oOo

Some hours later, the royal family was gathering to dinner, Amber still the only one who knew that Sofia was now gone.

"Where's Sofia?" Miranda asked. "I haven't seen her all day."

Amber watched Roland closely and as discreetly as she could. She wanted to see if she could detect feelings of guilt or remorse.

"She probably lost track of time studying," Roland said. "Baileywick, will you go remind her of dinner?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Don't bother, Baileywick," Amber said before the steward could leave. "Sofia's not here. But please leave us for now, Baileywick."

Confused, Baileywick stepped out of the dining room.

"What do you mean Sofia's not here?" Roland asked.

"She left around lunchtime. Are you going to tell Mom and James just why she left or do I have to?"

Miranda and James looked towards the king, confused and worried.

"I don't know what you're talking about Amber," Roland answered.

"Oh you don't?" Amber nearly yelled. "So did you not realize how unloved and unwanted your words caused Sofia to feel this morning? She told me about that conversation you two had. How you repeated King Magnus' words about how Sofia is an embarrassment to the royal family!"

Miranda and James gasped.

"You messed up Dad," Amber continued. "She wouldn't even refer to you as her dad when she told me what happened. And unless you can find some way to fix what you did, Sofia will never return. She will live her days out in some quiet village, separated from her family."

"Roland, is this true?" Miranda asked in disbelief.

The silence in the dining room was nearly deafening. Three sets of eyes were on Roland.

"It's true."

Miranda gave the twins a glance that told them to leave. Amber and James quickly and quietly left the dining room, their appetites shot.

"Sof's really gone?"

"Yes. She's gone and only Dad can bring her back."


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N: Yep, Roland messed up. And Mr. Shortman92, you are so right. Suitors aren't going to be the biggest concern anymore. Forgiveness would be kinda pointless if Sofia still can't get off the hook with suitors. And Roland would totally deserve a punch in the mouth. But Roland is not going to be able to find Sofia. If he meets her before she returns, if she returns, he won't even know it's her.**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia landed quietly in a very small, hidden away village in the far south area of Enchancia. With the early morning as her cover, Sofia looked to her right where Minimus was stretching his wings after the long flight.

"You didn't have to come with me."

Minimus nuzzled his head against the herself banished princess.

"Hey, where you go, I go."

Sofia scratched the purple horse's head.

"We need to find some place to live and a way to earn income."

"You didn't bring any money with you?"

"I did but it isn't going to last forever. Come on Minimus. Let's see what this little village can offer. Oh, your wings. You kind of stick out with your wings."

Sofia pulled an old blanket out of the saddle bag and covered the eye catching wings. Not a moment too soon as villagers began appearing with the sunrise. The marketplace began to fill up with vendors.

Sofia began asking around to see where she could go. One kind old vegetable vendor pointed her in the direction of an old, abandoned cottage that had been collecting dust since its last owner died nearly two years prior. Sofia thanked the vendor and left to check out the cottage.

The cottage was in great need of repairs and its gardens were overrun with weeds and fallen tree branches. Sofia patted Minimus' head.

"I think we're going to be very busy," Sofia said.

Minimus neighed in agreement.

"Let's go back to the marketplace and get some food then we'll get to work here."

oOo

A month later, Amber was walking through the gardens back at the castle. One pathway caught her attention so the blonde walked down it to reach Sofia's garden. Without its princess there, the garden didn't seem as lively and beautiful.

Amber sat under a tree and looked over the view. She was starting to fall asleep when something dropped into her lap. Amber startled awake and looked at the unexpected item in her lap. An envelope, with a purple shimmer was sitting in the blonde's lap. Amber opened it up quickly.

.

_Dear Amber,_

_It's been one long month. I found a little cottage in the village I told you about. I'm only just barely getting it cleaned up. It was a huge mess. I could have just flicked my wand and had it done in a blink of the eye but that would attract more attention than I care for. But now that it's cleaned up, I'm selling and trading extra fruit from the orchards surrounding the cottage._

_The last couple nights, I've been watching a little girl, about five years old, whose parents have been very sick for a while. During the night, I've gone over to their little home and helped them to take some medicine and broth. They seem to be getting better._

_A rumor from the capital has found its way out here. I've heard that the king made an announcement to the public to explain away my absence from royal affairs. I've heard it's been said that I supposedly am following a lead on finding a dear friend. Is this rumor true?_

_This envelope is enchanted. You probably figured that out already. How it works is that you just put a letter in it, close the envelope, and say 'Return to Sofia'. Once you do that, the letter will disappear and come to me. I have another envelope that will receive your letters._

_I look forward to hearing from you soon Sister Dearest._

_Love Sofia_

.

Amber wiped away a tear as she pocketed the letter. She stood up and brushed off her dress then started walking back to the castle. She went to her room and sat down with a pad of writing paper.

.

_Dear Sofia,_

_I can't tell you how happy I was to see your letter. Castle life has been very tense lately. The whole family has been ignoring Dad. Aunt Tilly went so far as to slap him right across the face for what he said to you. He had a big bruise on his cheek for a week. And yes, he did make that very announcement. Very few know the truth about why you're really gone. Baileywick is the only one outside of the family who knows the truth._

_It's good that you're getting settled into the village. I guess you're still not going to tell me the name of this new village or anything about where it's located._

_I hope that little girl's parents get well soon._

_I know you say you're making do with this simple life but if you ever need anything, I would be happy to send it over to you without anyone noticing anything._

_Good luck and write again soon._

_Love, Amber_

.

Amber placed the letter in the envelope and closed it, whispering the words softly to send the letter to her distant sister. The envelope shimmered and instantaneously felt a tiny bit lighter.

Contented to know that her sister was at least doing well on her own, Amber got ready for bed and blew out her candle.

oOo

Sofia held the little girl in her arms, rocking her gently to try and put her to sleep. Anne had had a very rough day and was starting to catch the illness that her parents had. Sofia felt something appear in her dress pocket, recognizing the enchanted envelope she had sent Amber a letter in.

After a few minutes of rocking Anne, Sofia finally got her to fall asleep. Sofia rocked the young girl some more to be absolutely certain that she was asleep before laying her down on a spare bed that had been in the cottage. Once she was down, Sofia waved a wand over herself, changing her appearance. She shifted from a supposedly blonde haired peasant woman to a sorceress with two toned hair and a red and purple outfit.

Satisfied with the look, Sofia transported over to Anne's home where her parents lay in bed coughing and shivering. The teenager stoked up the fire which was nearly gone, bringing some warmth back into the small home. With the fire stoked, Sofia walked over to the sick parents who were barely able to recognize that someone was even there. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two vials with medicine in them. Sofia helped the parents take the medicine and then summoned some warm broth for them to drink.

After they had taken the medicine and broth, the couple fell asleep. Sofia felt their foreheads and sighed. They weren't appearing to be getting any better. Thinking through what she remembered of the book of healing potions and spells, Sofia thought of one potion she could try.

The self banished princess checked once more that her patients were sleeping well then transported back to her cottage. In her kitchen, Sofia opened up the spell book and turned to the potion she had in mind. With the recipe in front of her, the teenager began the conjuring process, working late into the night.

oOo

Amber was starting to fall asleep, two weeks later, when something fell right on her face. Startled awake, the blonde princess grabbed whatever had landed on her face. Recognizing an envelope, Amber sat up quickly and lit a candle so she could read the letter.

.

_Dear Amber,_

_You're offer is very sweet. If I do ever need anything, you'll know. And no, I'm not telling you the name of this village or where it is located. I will tell you that I am still in Enchancia though._

_Well, the little girl with the sick parents I told you about, she started to catch the same illness and her parents started getting worse. After that happened, I decided to try something stronger than regular medicine. I brewed a fairly strong medicinal potion and it did the trick. The little girl and her parents are now healthy and well. And the amulet, rather Cedric, blessed me with healing powers. I have yet to test the limits of this new power._

_But the parents now know that a supposedly blonde fruit vendor and a supposedly black and white haired sorceress are the same person and that this person is not who she says she is (how they figured it out is still a mystery to me). They even wanted to know if the brown eyes and abnormally low voice are accurate (thank goodness for magical hacks to disguise people)._

_Fortunately for me, they are keeping my secret. I told them that I had come to that particular village after a falling out with a parent and that I didn't wish to be found. They assured me that they will not spread the secret._

_Now that I am no longer playing nurse to the family, I've put my fullest efforts into growing a prosperous fruit orchard. I'll admit, I may have cheated a little bit and used some magic to help the fruit. But it's very subtle. No one has noticed anything. Except maybe that my fruit is extra juicy and delicious._

_I hope that the family will not ignore His Majesty too much. I still can't believe Aunt Tilly slapped him! She always seemed to dote quite a bit on her 'baby brother'._

_Keep me posted on what's going on over there._

_Love, Sofia_

.

Amber smiled before taking out her pad of paper.

.

_Dear Sofia,_

_I'm so glad that little girl and her parents are well again. That new power is exciting. If being a fruit vendor doesn't work out for you, you would make an excellent healer._

_Cheating to become a prolific fruit vendor? Isn't that a little beneath you? But I'm glad your fruit stand is doing well._

_So you're posing as a blonde? Is that what you used my strand of hair for?_

_James was super funny earlier. He was working on some of his jousting techniques and got so engrossed in his practice that he didn't realize he came inside the castle. He knocked over a row of armor and some of it knocked Baileywick and Mom over. Mom simply told him to clean up the mess. James moped about it but did as told._

_Things are still very tense around here with yours and Dad's broken relation hanging over the family's heads. Dad has apologized to us for costing everyone a member of the family. I think his actions are weighing heavily on his shoulders. He doesn't sleep well at night anymore and is barely able to eat anything at mealtimes. He looks absolutely ghastly as a result. But don't feel pressured to come back just because the family is feeling your disappearance heavily. You need to be ready to come back and Dad does need to make it up to you._

_My offer of assistance still stands. You'll probably continue to say you're doing just fine but you know who to ask if you need anything at all. I look forward to reading your next letter and hearing more of your adventures in the village._

_Love, Amber_

**(A/N: So back in chapter one, a guest reviewer mentioned how cool it would be if Sofia had healing powers. I laughed quite hard there because I had already written this chapter and intended for our favorite sorceress princess to gain healing powers through the amulet. Hence the fact that when I mentioned that in one these notes, I put a winky face right by it.)**


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N: Sofia is trying not to blow her cover. The point of the two disguises was so that the family wouldn't put two and two together, but they did anyways. The family is not important to the story other than what Sofia does for them and gains as a result.**

**I own nothing!)**

_One year later_

Sofia looked out the window of her cottage, frowning. The rain storm outside had been going on for several days now and was starting to cause problems. Very few of the villagers and vendors could make it out and Sofia knew many people needed their near daily trips out to the marketplace to get their needs met whether food or money. And simple farmers were going to lose crops due to the excess water.

Sofia looked out the window some more before pulling the latest letter from her sister out from her pocket.

.

_Dear Sofia,_

_We had the villager's ball a few days ago. There was one little girl who was so sad that she couldn't meet you. She said that you're her favorite princess. I think she was about eight years old. What makes you so interesting to her is that she was in a house fire a few months ago and has a few scars as a result. She was told the story about you being in an accident too and having scars from it. So now, her favorite princess is you and she really wanted to meet you._

_Except for your absence, things are almost back to normal around here. It might be that Dad is a little distracted by reports of extensive storms near the south border. There haven't been reports indicating that help is needed. Not yet anyways. I hope you're not living near that area. But if you are, I hope you are safe and that things haven't turned dire._

_Please let me know if you are near the storms that are raging near the southern borderlands. I would feel so much better if I knew that you're safe._

_Love, Amber_

.

Sofia smiled sadly then pulled out her writing paper. Unexpectedly, frantic pounding on the door told the princess in hiding that she would have to wait to write her sister back. Making sure she still had her wig on, the now seventeen year old ran to the door. Opening it, Sofia recognized the vegetable vendor who had first pointed her in the direction of the cottage she now called home.

"Mr. Zabala, what is it?" Sofia asked.

"Miss, the river nearby is about to overflow! You're closest to it! You'll be hit first by the flood! You need to take shelter somewhere else!"

Sofia gasped. "There's not much shelter to take for anyone here! Are you absolutely certain the river is going to flood?"

"I'm absolutely positive. We've got to try to at least get everyone to safety."

Sofia sighed. She reached into her pocket and touched her wand. Assured that it was there, the teenager hoped she knew what she was doing, grabbed her cloak, then she stormed out of the cottage. The storm seemed to increase in intensity as the disguised princess headed to the center of the village where the panicked people were trying to decide whether to leave or try and fight the flood that was certainly coming.

A flash of lightning hit an old, dying tree, causing it to start coming down. Screams of panic ensued as people tried to get out of its way.

"Timberus dissolvius!" Sofia yelled, pointing her wand at the tree.

The falling tree dissolved into sparkling rain. The panicked villagers became quiet as they stared at the supposed fruit vendor. More lightning flashed and a cry went out that the river had overflowed and the water was coming towards the village at an alarming rate. Frantic screams went throughout the village.

Sofia quickly ran towards the south end of the village, where the flood would hit first. Intrigued, some villagers followed her. When water started coming up to her ankles, Sofia stopped. She raised her wand, the tip shining brightly in the dark storm.

"Pago protegra!" Sofia called out, waving the wand in a circle over her head.

A bright beam of light spewed out of the wand up into the sky where it exploded into a sparkling dome that surrounded the village. As the dome closed around the village, the source of the flood waters was cut off and the falling rain stopped could no longer come down on the people and their homes. Cheers went out throughout the village as the villagers realized that they would not have to leave their homes.

The cheers were a distant sound in Sofia's ears as the wand fell from her hand and she dropped to her knees, utterly exhausted.

oOo

"Your Majesty! Reports from the southern borderlands have come in!"

Roland looked up sharply at Baileywick.

"What is the news on the storm?"

"It's starting to let up," Baileywick said. "The village of Devon experienced some mild flooding and very severe water damage. Crops have been ruined and the people are in great need of supplies and assistance to rebuild."

"With how bad the storm has been, I'm surprised the flooding wasn't very extensive," Roland said.

"There isn't any confirmation but there is a rumor that a young sorcerer cast a spell that prevented extensive flooding. Supposedly this young sorcerer has been living as a fruit vendor."

Roland nodded. "Baileywick, assemble supplies and support to go out to Devon. We leave at first light."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Unbeknownst to the steward and king, someone was watching and listening with interest.

"A fruit vendor with magical capabilities?" the eavesdropper said softly. "Yes, this is perfect."


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: I thought it was pretty obvious who the eavesdropper is. So seeing your comments wondering who she is makes me laugh. No worries, by the end of this chapter, you'll know exactly who she is. If my commenting here doesn't already reveal it.**

**Luiz4200, whoever sent the report didn't know for sure that there was someone magically inclined helping. It's only a rumor as far as anyone knows. And the sender of the report didn't say sorcerer to help keep Roland from connecting the dots. Sorcerer can be used for male and female but usually references a male magician.**

**I own nothing!)**

A couple days later, Roland arrived to Devon with a great deal of support. He looked over the small farming village, concerned. Indeed, the village had sustained severe damage. Even if the supposed sorcerer was there, the damage couldn't have been completely prevented.

"The king is here! Help has arrived!"

Roland smiled briefly at the excitement of the villagers. One villager came up to meet the caravan of help. The mud covered man bowed, weakly.

"Your Majesty, thank you. The people of this village are in great need."

"That's why we're here," a feminine voice said from behind Roland.

Roland turned to see Amber pulling a maid's cap off her head. Roland's jaw dropped, seeing his daughter there and dressed like she was ready to get messy.

"Amber, I thought you were staying at the castle with your mother and brother," Roland said.

"I was going to, but I wanted to help," Amber said. "It's a little late now. I'm here, I'm helping."

"If you insist," Roland said before turning back to the villager. "What's your name, good man?"

"Mr. Zabala, Your Majesty" the villager answered.

"Tell me, Mr. Zabala, what is the extent of your village's needs?"

"Most of our crops are gone so even if we wanted to start rebuilding on our own, most of us are too weak from the lack of food," Mr. Zabala said. "Most homes were ruined, especially in the southern end of the village."

"I see."

Roland turned to Baileywick and Amber.

"Baileywick, have the men start rebuilding from the south end of the village. Amber, since you insist on being here and helping, help hand out food."

Baileywick and Amber nodded. Roland turned back to Mr. Zabala.

"I've heard a rumor that there's a sorcerer in residence," Roland said. "And that because of his spells, the damage isn't nearly as bad as it could've been. Is that true?"

"It is actually a sorceress, Your Majesty," Mr. Zabala said. "Fifi has lived here for a little over a year, selling fruit. Not much is known about her. None of us knew she was so adept at using a wand. There had been whispers of someone doing small, charitable deeds during the night using magic. I thought it was just baseless gossip. But Fifi surprised us all when the rain got so bad that the river overflowed. Her spell didn't get rid of the water that had already come down but it did prevent further water from reaching us and cut off the source of the flood waters. Afterwards, she went to work trying to magically repair the village but just a couple days ago, she hit her limit and passed out. She's woken up since then but is too weak to even stand up."

"I'd like to meet this Fifi," Roland said. "Where is she?"

"Her cottage is in the south part of the village. It was one of the few homes to receive little to no damage. It must have been a spell she cast, long before the storm even started."

"I think I'll go see how she is," Roland said. "Having her magical assistance will help repairs go so much better."

oOo

Sofia coughed before shivering. She weakly pulled her amulet out from its hiding place under her dress. It shimmered faintly.

"I overdid it," Sofia said weakly. "And there have been no signs of help coming. I don't know if I can make it. I'm sorry I couldn't free you Cedric."

Sofia put the amulet back in its hiding spot and slowly closed her eyes. Her stomach growled viciously. Even back when it was just her and her mother, Sofia couldn't remember a time of starvation. It was almost worse than anything the teenager had ever experienced.

The door opened and Sofia vaguely saw two shadows fill the doorway.

"This is Fifi's home, Your Majesty."

Sofia gasped from her place on the floor in the front room.

_Surely, he doesn't mean-?_

"Thank you Mr. Zabala," Roland's voice said. "Go rest and eat something. I'll take care of Fifi."

Sofia shivered as she realized that for the first time in fifteen months, she would have to face her stepfather.

Strong, familiar arms lifted the disguised princess up off the floor and carried her over to her bed. When she was gently set down, some food was offered to her. Sofia weakly lifted her hand to take the offered food. After eating a meager meal, the disguised princess fell asleep, with the image of her stepfather looking over her concerned in her mind.

Several hours later, Sofia woke up again. She wondered if her stepfather was still there and if he had realized just who 'Fifi' was. Weakly, Sofia sat up, feeling somewhat better than she had before.

"Oh good, you're awake," a familiar, feminine voice said. "Daddy said you were very weak. I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to make it, _Sofia_."

Sofia looked towards the voice of her sister, shocked.

"Amber? I don't understand."

"Oh it was easy really," Amber said. "You spoke of selling fruit in your first letters. And when reports came in from this area in regards to the storms, there was mention of a rumored fruit vendor skilled in magic. Daddy didn't know I had overheard him so I snuck along in hopes that it would lead to you. And it did."

Sofia nodded. "Since you're here, will you go to the cupboard in the kitchen that has a purple stain on it and pull out the white potion marked with 'healing'? And put three drops in a cup of water?"

"Of course."

Amber left and returned quickly with the requested draught. Sofia took the cup from her sister and drank the cup empty. A subtle, white glow surrounded the weakened princess, momentarily. Sofia shuddered as the potion started to do its work.

"Did you happen to bring some food with you when you came to visit me?"

"Of course, Sofia."

"Good," Sofia said. "The potion will work best if I eat something with it."

Amber handed her sister an apple. Sofia chewed the crunchy fruit, thoughtfully.

"I thought you had healing powers from the amulet," Amber said after giving her sister a roll.

"I do," Sofia said. "But even that has its limits. I was physically drained from eating very little for so long and from casting spell after spell to help the village."

"Of course," Amber said. "Now that you mention that, it does make sense. Since you've gotten food and that healing potion, how quickly are you going to be able to be on your feet?"

"Should be tomorrow afternoon but could be the next morning."

Amber nodded. "Well, get some more sleep. I'll set some more food by your bed and that potion with some water. I'm going back out to continue helping but I'll be back soon."

Sofia nodded and laid back down.

The next day, late in the afternoon, Sofia was finally up and about, thanks to the healing potion. Wand in hand, she sped up the work of repair teams, fixed gardens and enchanted them some that food would regrow quickly, and healed injuries.

Close to dusk, Sofia sat down with Amber and a group of village women. They were eating some of the provisions that came with Roland and Amber.

"So Fifi," one village woman said. "Why did you hide that you're magically inclined?"

"I had a falling out with my step father," Sofia said. "I knew that my magical abilities would attract more attention than I cared for. So I used my abilities quietly."

"Is Fifi your real name?" another village woman asked.

"No," Sofia said. "It's just an alias I used to deter my family in their search for me. And I knew that they would, eventually. The blonde hair is fake too. My family is not a poor, low ranking family so they have the resources to search far and wide for me. Hence me pretending to be someone and something that I am not."

One of the village women the two princesses were sitting with looked like she wanted to ask further questions when Baileywick came running up to them.

"Your Highness," Baileywick panted. "There's been an accident! Some rocks came down on your father and he's completely trapped! We can't get to him without bringing down more rocks or hurting him further!"

"Show the way!" Sofia ordered before Amber could say anything. "I can get him out!"

The royal steward looked at the supposed village woman in surprise and doubt. Sofia flicked her wand out of her pocket.

"Baileywick, now!" Sofia commanded.

Too shocked to wonder how the woman, who he was certain he'd never met before, knew his name, Baileywick began running back towards the area of the rock slide. Sofia ran alongside him and Amber followed behind as closely as she could. Within moments, the three got to the scene. Sofia looked at the newest mess, scared that it might be too late. She took a deep breath and pointed the wand towards the rocks.

"Floatiza!" Sofia called out.

The rocks started to lift away. After several rocks were in the air, the three could begin to see Roland, laying motionless and bloody on the ground. Hardly noticing her sister calling out to their dad, Sofia sent the rocks off to the side and set them down carefully.

With the rocks out of the way, the three ran over to the motionless king. Sofia knelt by him and pressed two fingers against his neck gently.

"He's alive, but only barely," Sofia said. "Step back, I'm going to use a powerful healing spell."

Sofia waited a moment as Baileywick and Amber stepped back. She pulled the amulet out of its hiding spot, gripping it tightly. After a second of holding the amulet, Sofia put it back in hiding and waved her wand over Roland.

"Curatio medens!" Sofia called out.

White light spewed out of the wand and encircled Roland. As it did, Sofia placed her other hand on his shoulder and a sparkling purple light joining the white from the wand. The combined lights engulfed Roland and Sofia and grew so bright that Baileywick and Amber had to cover their eyes. After a few minutes, the magic lights disappeared, being absorbed by the downed king. Sofia smiled weakly.

"Dad's going to be okay," she said softly before fainting.

As the exhausted teenager flopped over, she was unaware of her amulet slipping out of its hiding place, revealing herself to the oblivious steward.

"Th- that's-" Baileywick stuttered.

"Yes Baileywick, that's Sofia," Amber said. "Dad doesn't know though and until she is ready for him to know, you will say absolutely nothing about it. Am I clear?"

The stunned steward nodded. Amber quickly tucked the amulet back into hiding.

"Good. Now go get some help to bring them back to the village. We'll take them to Fifi's cottage. It'll be a safe place for both to recover."

The next morning, Sofia woke up, aching. As she realized she was in her own bed in the cottage, her memories of the night before came back to her.

"I wonder where His Majesty is," Sofia murmured.

She stood up, slowly and walked down to the kitchen. As she did, Sofia heard some movement from the main room where the spare bed was. She looked and saw Roland laying on the bed, stirring slightly in his slumber. Realizing she was not alone, Sofia double checked that her amulet was out of sight and that her wig was still on.

Satisfied that both were as they were supposed to be, the young princess started mixing a healing potion into a glass of water. The water glowed as the potion was mixed in. Once the glow disappeared, Sofia gently shook Roland's shoulder to wake him.

"Your Majesty," Sofia said. "Wake up. I have a potion for you to help your healing."

Roland groaned as his eyes opened. With some help, he sat up. Sofia handed him the glass.

"Drink this," Sofia said. "It will ease your pain, give you strength, and help your injuries to continue healing."

"Thank you Fifi," Roland said, taking the offered cup. "What happened?"

"You walked right into an area that frequently has rock slides," Sofia explained. "With the excessive rain we had, the area became even more dangerous. Normal efforts could not have saved you. The area was too muddy, the rocks on you too heavy, and there were more rocks that could've come down."

"I'm guessing you used your magic to get me out of there?"

Sofia nodded then handed Roland a piece of dried meat.

"Eat. It will make it so that the potion works faster."

Roland took the meat and slowly ate it.

"Now, I have a question for you, Your Majesty. Why come out here yourself? You could've simply sent your men to come fix the place and not help out in person."

"The reason is personal," Roland said in between bites of his food.

"Of course. Then perhaps you can answer why you specifically came here to my cottage, helped me up off the floor, and helped me to eat?"

"That is also for personal reasons."

Sofia nodded. "I'm heading back out to continue helping the efforts to rebuild my village. You need to rest more. I'll leave some food and water by you. It's not palace cuisine but it'll have to do, given the circumstances. I'll come back around lunchtime to check on you and give you more medicine."

"Thank you Fifi."

Sofia smiled softly and walked out the door. As she did, she nearly walked right into Baileywick.

"So Sofia, how long are you staying away for?"

"As long as I have to, Baileywick. His Majesty is resting. Sorceress nurse's orders. If you'll excuse me, the village still needs a lot of work done. And I have a lot of work to do to help my people get back on their feet."

Sofia turned and walked away. As she did, she pulled her wand out of her pocket and started flicking it towards random places and so the like that needed some sort of work done. Baileywick stared at the princess then continued to help where he could too.


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N: This chapter was a huge struggle. I won't count how many different ideas I had for what's going to happen or how many spots are completely different from the original draft. I think I like this final draft though. So hope you do too.**

**I own nothing!)**

After many days of working hard from dawn until dusk, the village was almost in better shape than it was before the storm. And thanks to Sofia's tender care, Roland had healed very well. Now that the village was beginning to thrive again, Roland and Amber were getting ready to leave.

"Three cheers for our good king and princess!" someone yelled as the villagers gathered to see the royal caravan off.

The cheers went up through the villagers. Sofia, who was near to the front of the crowd, cheered and clapped with the rest of the people who had suffered through the storm with her.

"Thank you," Roland said as the cheering slowly died down. "Any good king would be honored to have people like all of you in his domain. You worked together and supported each other through this difficult time. And while your struggles may not be over yet, I do greatly believe that you are in good shape and ready to continue on your own."

Cheers went up again. From near the front of the crowd, Sofia pointed her wand up into the sky and recited a spell she remembered from her first official entrance to the castle.

"Mohit flora!"

Flower petals came falling from the sky as the royal caravan started to leave. As it disappeared into the distance, Sofia thought about how it felt to see some of her family again.

oOo

A couple days later at the castle, the royal family sat at breakfast. It was quiet, due to most of the family being tired. Unexpectedly, Baileywick entered.

"Pardon me, Your Majesties, you have a visitor," Baileywick said. "She said she would wait in the throne room until you were done with breakfast."

"Who is here?" Roland asked.

"Fifi, the sorceress from Devon."

"Devon has a sorceress?" Miranda asked.

"Did Daddy not tell you about her when telling you about the trip out there?" Amber asked.

"No, he fell asleep before he could tell me anything, last night."

"Of course," Amber said, rolling her eyes. "Long story short, Fifi's magic kept the village from being completely lost to the storm and flooding. And she also saved Dad's life when he got caught in a rock slide. Without her magic, there would have been no way to get him out or heal his life threatening injuries."

"And since she is here, we'll not keep her waiting long," Roland said assertively. "Baileywick, let our honored guest know that we will be there in just a moment."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Minutes later, the royal family filed into the throne room. Fifi was looking at a piece of paper. The young sorceress looked up when the incomplete family took their seats. Fifi curtsied.

"Your Majesties, I apologize for coming uninvited."

"Nonsense," Roland said. "You are most welcome here."

"You're too kind. I've done nothing to warrant it."

"Not from what I've heard," Miranda interrupted. "Amber said you were very helpful in saving and rebuilding the village and that you saved Roland's life when he had an accident out there."

Fifi scoffed. "I was still finding traces of his blood in my cottage last night. I thought I had it all cleaned up. Apparently not. Should be all gone now though. If not, well, the next people to inhabit the cottage will get to deal with it."

"The next people?" Amber asked. "You're leaving Devon?"

"I am. As good as Devon is, none of its inhabitants were supposed to find out I'm a sorceress. Or much about my background period."

"Yet you revealed quite a bit about yourself when you saved the village," Amber noted.

"People could have died if I didn't do anything. Whether or not I wanted to expose myself, saving Devon was the right thing to do. I will never regret that, even if it means I have to move and start a new life."

"So where are you going to move to?" Amber asked.

"Haven't decided where to go just yet. Might stay in Enchancia, might not. But I'm not here to talk about my move. I found a letter in my kitchen after the caravan left a few days ago. It lacked the royal seal but was signed with your name, King Roland. I was curious to know if it was really from you."

"It is."

Fifi scratched her head. "If you wanted some assistance with something, why didn't you just ask me while you were still out in Devon?"

"Because the trip out there was about helping the village get back on its feet. And when I thought of it, you were very busy."

"Well, in response to your request for help, I read about such a spell somewhere. I haven't actually cast it before and I'm still searching my books to find that spell again. But I do remember one thing about it. Do you have something that belonged to her? Particularly something close to her heart?"

Roland's expression dropped. "No. There's nothing of hers that I can give for this."

"Then I can't help you. If you want to use a spell to locate this missing person, then you'll have to talk to a full fledged sorcerer and see if they have any tricks up their sleeve."

Roland was about to say something when someone burst in.

"Your Majesties, pardon my interruption," the stable head said. "Princess Sofia's flying horse, Minimus, is back at the stables."

Fifi watched the family to judge their reactions. Not surprisingly, Amber was the only one who didn't look the least bit shocked. Everyone else was speechless at the news that could mean that the missing family member was back.

"Thank you, that will be all," Roland said to the stable head, before returning his attention to Fifi. "I hope you won't mind if we go look to see if Sofia returned home, Fifi?"

Fifi shook her head sharply. "You're not going anywhere!"

Fifi flicked her wand out of her pocket and within an instance, the throne room was sealed, making it so that none could leave.

"What is the meaning of this?" Miranda asked. "I understood that you were a good and kind young woman who used her talents for the good of her friends and peers."

Fifi laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt any of you. And I don't know what your husband or your daughter told you about me, but I am not as good as you think. I'm a scarred, angry young person who had to lose much in becoming who I am today. But I'm not here to take out my anger on you. I'm here because Princess Sofia asked me to do this for her."

"What do you mean?" Roland asked. "Do you know where Sofia is and how she is doing?"

"If you want to know how she is doing, ask your other daughter," Fifi said coolly. "While Sofia maybe did not reveal her location to Amber, they wrote periodic letters back and forth to each other that were sent using magic."

Three sets of eyes landed on Amber.

"Her first letter arrived about a month after she left," Amber confirmed. "Her last letter indicated that she was still good but it's been nearly a month since that last letter. She hasn't written back since then."

"You knew the whole time that she was doing fine on her own and you didn't say anything?" Miranda asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.

"Oh don't get mad at Amber," Fifi said, taking a few steps closer to the royals. "Sofia asked Amber to keep it secret. Enough of that though. I have some questions for you, King Roland. Whether or not you like it, you're going to answer them and you're going to answer them honestly."

Fifi flicked her wand towards Roland and a small bead of light touched his throat, disappearing into the skin.

"What did you just do?" Roland asked.

"That bit of light was a truth serum," Fifi explained. "You have no choice, you're going to have to answer my questions honestly."

"And you said Sofia asked you to do all of this?" Miranda asked.

"Oh she said nothing about trapping you guys and forcing your husband to answer truthfully but she is very interested in knowing if coming back is going to be the biggest mistake, considering what King Roland said to her before she left. Oh and Your Majesty, you might not have given me a name in your letter, but I know it's Sofia you expressed an interest in finding. I just have to wonder why, considering you banished her cruelly. Now tell me, what were you more upset about that morning, the fact that Sofia appeared the way she did at her ball or that King Magnus dissolved his connections with Enchancia?"

"King Magnus," Roland said, unable to stop himself.

"But you took it out on Sofia?"

"I still wish I could go back in time and have never had that conversation. It wasn't her fault and I acted like it was."

"But it's done. That conversation happened and you lost Sofia for it, making your family and your kingdom suffer for it! Did you search for her?"

"Yes but there have been no known sightings."

Fifi laughed. "She has magic on her side. If she didn't want to be found, she could very well make sure that she wasn't."

"How hard would it be to find a bald, blue eyed princess who wears a powerful amulet?" Roland asked.

"Apparently very hard. You've had no sightings in the span of fifteen months. Fifteen months! You need to step up your game if you're going to find her. I digress. If Sofia were standing right in front of you, looking the very same as she did the last time you spoke with her, what would you say to her?"

"I would tell her that I loved her no matter what."

"I suppose then that Sofia's questions for you are done. Now for two questions of my own. You know what they are. I asked you them the morning after the rock slide when you first woke up."

"And as I said then, they were for personal reasons," Roland said, clearly struggling against the truth serum.

Fifi tightened her grip on her wand and pointed it towards the stubborn king.

"Let me try that again. Why did you come out personally to help Devon? And why did you come to my cottage to help me?"

"It was all for Sofia!" Roland said quickly, no longer able to fight the serum. "She loved to help others and doing kind deeds was something I thought might show her that I am on her side. And also, having you back up on your feet, I knew it would be a great advantage in getting the village repaired and its people back on their feet. But it was mostly for Sofia."

"You must have messed up very horrifically that morning if you were willing to go out to a very small, out of the way, village of little significance to prove to Sofia that you were still a good man."

"I did mess up very horribly that morning. Sofia questioned me if I still considered her my real daughter. She was right to do so. I didn't treat her like she was."

Fifi pocketed her wand and then wiped a tear from her eye.

"Do you miss her?"

"More than I can express."

Fifi wiped some more tears from her eyes.

"That's all I needed to know," Fifi said. "That truth serum should be wearing off right about now."

"Fifi, do you know where Sofia is?" Miranda asked.

Fifi nodded. "I've known ever since she left the castle fifteen months ago. Everything she knows, I know. All of her experiences, I've experienced."

"What do you mean?" Roland asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," Fifi said before looking at Amber, smiling. "My dear, sweet sister knew right from the moment she overheard the rumor about me, which I imagine was the real reason she snuck along to Devon."

Fifi looked back at Roland.

"I've come home, Dad," Fifi said before waving her wand over herself. "Aspectus returno!"

Fifi's appearance shifted. Blonde wig changed to a brown wig, brown eyes turned silvery blue, and the Amulet of Avalor was pulled out of its hiding spot. Fifi, now revealing herself as Sofia, pulled her wig off, threw it up into the air, and pointed her wand at it.

"Perdere!"

The wig exploded and then disappeared completely.

"I hate those wigs. I do not want to wear one ever again."

Amber smiled and glanced at the rest of the family who were completely speechless. Roland made a move after a moment and stepped over to the newly returned princess. He took her hands.

"Sofia, I'm so sorry."

"I know Dad. I've known for a long time. I just wasn't ready to come back."

"Are you really coming home?" Roland asked hopefully.

"I am," Sofia said, nodding.

Roland pulled Sofia into a tight embrace.

"I love you, Sofia."

"I love you too, Dad."

After a moment, the rest of the family joined the embrace.


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N: NerdsinaTree, after reading your review, I did a bit of research and discovered you're right. So I've gone back and updated the spell. Thanks for pointing it out to me.**

**Guest reviewer- No sympathy at all for Roland being forced to spill the truth to someome he thinks a stranger and in front of the whole family? None whatsoever? That's okay. I had none for him in that scene either. He definitely had some massive comeuppance coming his way for unintentionally banishing Sofia.**

**Luiz4200- Sofia has had wigs the entire time since going bald. She just almost never used them due to them being very uncomfortable. When she left, she changed the color of her wig so that it would be harder to recognize her. She's not ever going to use a wig again though, which is why she destroyed the wig in the last chapter.**

**And... The fun begins. I own nothing!)**

_Two years later_

Sofia sat at Cedric's desk, book opened, and the nineteen year old nodding off. Sofia leaned forward in her state of sleep and bumped her head against the book, startling her awake. Sofia looked at the time, surprised to see it was well after midnight.

"Ugh. Winifred is going to confiscate my wands again if I keep this up."

Stifling a yawn, Sofia decided to use the bed she had in the workshop, instead of going down to her room. As she fell asleep, a dream unlike anything plagued her.

.

_Sofia walked through her garden. She wore a simple, yet elegant white gown with purple lace and ribbons giving a touch of color to it. Her hair was fully grown back and her scars had completely disappeared._

_Sofia smiled softly. She held a red rose with a creamy white ribbon tied around it. Sofia delicately smelled the rose in her hand. A note was attached to the rose but the only words visible were 'Your Faithful Sorcerer'._

_The sun was low in the sky, giving a golden glow to the flowers and trees surrounding her. Sofia relished the sight._

_"It's beautiful isn't it?"_

_Sofia turned to see a familiar face._

_"Cedric! What are you doing here?"_

_"I came to see the view. The garden and sunset is wonderful but you shine more beautifully than all of it."_

_Sofia smiled shyly, blushing. Cedric stepped over to the young lady in front of him, something in his expression unreadable. He took Sofia's hand and placed something in it._

_"A sign of my devotion to you, Princess."_

_Sofia gave the sorcerer a startled look. Cedric smiled sadly before squeezing the young princess' hand._

_"Free me."_

_Cedric disappeared, leaving the hand that he had held, cold but not empty. Sofia looked down and saw Cedric's family wand._

.

Sofia tossed in her sleep as the dream began to shift to something familiar but very unpleasant.

.

_"Mr. Cedric!"_

_"Merlin's mushrooms! Sofia!"_

_The spell or potion that Cedric had been working on exploded. A burst of magic knocked the young princess down onto her butt and the sorcerer forward a few inches. Cedric pointed his wand, a wand the young princess had helped him acquire many years ago. Sofia's face was filled with fear as the wand was pointed towards her._

_"Protegra!"_

_As the protection spell burst out of the white wand, another burst of magic from the exploding spell knocked the sorcerer down to his knees, causing the protection spell to connect with the amulet. Cedric's eyes widened as his protection spell pulled him towards Sofia at an alarming speed, causing the back of her head to be slammed very hard on the stone floor._

_"I'm sorry, Sofia."_

.

Sofia sat up straight.

"The family wand!"

Sofia opened the drawer where she kept Cedric's wands and was disappointed to see the treasured wand missing. Remembering that there was a special case for that wand, the princess started to tear the workshop apart to find the case. After a few minutes of searching, Sofia found the case. She smiled as she opened it but the smile disappeared quickly as she realized that the wand was not there.

"No!"

The tower shook as Sofia yelled in frustration. The answer to getting Cedric back had to lay with the family wand and it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Frantic, the sorceress princess began tearing apart the workshop in hopes of finding the wand simply knocked somewhere where it wouldn't be easily noticed.

Several hours later, Sofia had searched every inch of the tower. The wand was nowhere to be found. Upset, the young princess collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Cedric, did the wand go with you into the amulet?" Sofia asked, taking the jewel in her hand.

The amulet offered no answer. Hoping that it somehow was not in the amulet, Sofia realized her new task would be to find the wand. If it hadn't been pulled into the amulet with Cedric, Sofia knew she could get him out.

Sofia grabbed her flying broom and headed out of the tower. As she exited the tower, she saw Amber walking the grounds.

"Sofia, where are you going?"

"Mystic Meadows," Sofia said. "I think I've found the way to bring Cedric back."

"Ooh, that's wonderful!"

"There's just one problem. He was entrapped with his family wand and I can't find the wand anywhere. I'm wondering if his parents took it home with them after the accident."

"You'll find it, I'm certain of it."

"I sure hope so. For all I know, the wand is with him. If that ends up being the case, freeing him will be even more difficult than before. I can't believe I didn't realize the wand was missing in the first place. If the family wand is the answer and it wasn't pulled into the amulet, I could have freed Cedric seven years ago."

"You can do it Sofia," Amber assured her sister. "You've come this far and you haven't given up. Show this world what Princess Sofia is made of. Find that wand."

Sofia hugged her sister quickly and then mounted her broom.

A little bit later, after explaining the second part of the dream with its memory and what she now knew, Sofia looked hopefully at Goodwin and Winifred.

"Sorry Sofia," Goodwin said. "We haven't had the wand ever since it was given to Cedric. It may be time to realize and accept that there may not be any way to get him back out of the amulet."

"I will never give up!" Sofia just about yelled. "I refuse! I can't believe you're giving up on him. Cedric is your son. Do you not want him back?"

"I do want him back," the aged sorcerer said. "It is just difficult to repeatedly be given a hope that he might be retrieved just to find out that he is still gone."

Sofia shook her head.

"I've come too far to give up on him. I will go even further than I already have if that's what it takes. I will bring him back."

Sofia stormed out of the cottage and mounted her broom. As she flew off, she thought she saw Cordelia and Calista's coach approach Mystic Meadows but she didn't stop to check.

oOo

"How did the trip to Mystic Meadows go?" Amber asked that night at dinner. "Did they have the wand?"

"Do you think I would be here right now if they did?" Sofia answered shortly. "They haven't had the wand since they gave it to Cedric."

"Wait, what's this about a wand and Cedric?" Miranda asked.

Sofia closed her fingers around her cup with a grip of death.

"I had a dream during the night about the day of the accident. But it was from Cedric's perspective. He was wielding his family wand when everything went wrong. After thinking it over, I realized I never did see it after the accident. And there would be no point in him showing me that memory if the wand was pulled into the amulet with him."

"Why would he wait so long to show you that memory?" Roland asked. "It's been seven years. It doesn't make sense to wait."

"I don't know. When I find the wand though and get him out, I'll have to ask."


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N: Your reviews are cracking me up. I expected for you guys to get mad at me for making the solution to freeing Cedric so simple. Certainly won't be a simple fix if Sofia can't find the wand, though.**

**I own nothing!)**

A couple weeks later, Sofia looked at the result of the locator spell she had tried. Her hopes had been high that it would show her where the family wand had disappeared to. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong with the spell and Sofia now needed to clean the workshop. And repair her gown since a downed candle caught the sleeve on fire.

Disgruntled, the young princess looked over the spell again, trying to figure out where ahe went wrong. Whatever it was though, Sofia couldn't figure out what it was.

"I don't get it. I did everything the instructions say to do in the exact manner that it says to do it. I should be seeing the location of the wand, not a workshop that looks like a tornado ripped through it!"

Frustrated, Sofia slammed the book shut and threw it straight at the mirror. The mirror tipped over and shattered on contact with the floor. The amulet pulsed, causing Sofia to pause before she went to throw something else.

"Well, unless you happened to have caught what I did wrong, Cedric, you're not going to be very helpful by glowing!"

Sofia let out a sigh of frustration before picking up her wand and pointing it at the broken mirror. In a moment, the mirror was fixed. A quick wave of the wand then cleaned the workshop.

Content to see that the tower was at least clean, Sofia leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. She sat there for a long time, not wanting to leave the tower. She didn't even move when a pulse from the tower barrier told her someone was there to remind her of lunch. Or dinner for that matter. It was completely dark by the time Sofia finally decided to move. When she did, her body ached from sitting still in an uncomfortable position a long time.

_Whatever!_

Sofia headed straight for her bedroom, deciding she would go to bed early. The sorceress princess opened her bedroom door and as she closed it, movement near her bed startled her.

"There you are! I was beginning to worry about you! You haven't shown up to a single family meal today or yesterday and when I asked the kitchen staff, they all indicated that you haven't been in the kitchen to grab food for yourself. And by the looks of you, you haven't been sleeping much at night."

"What are you doing in my bedroom, Amber?"

"Someone's got to look out for you, cause apparently, you aren't doing it for yourself. Seriously, Sofia, you are going to drive yourself into the ground doing this. Why do you constantly punish yourself for things beyond your control?"

"I'm not punishing myself. Believe it or not, I do keep some food up in the tower."

Amber sighed. "If you say so. At least be careful? You've gotten your wands confiscated once. I'm certain you don't want that when you're so close to freeing Cedric."

Sofia sat down on her bed and patted a spot beside her. Amber sat by her.

"I don't feel like I'm very close to freeing him. Yes, I now know what I need to do in order to free him. I know that I need his family wand. But what good is that knowlegde if I can't find the wand anywhere? I've torn the entire tower apart more than once trying to find it. And this morning, I tried to use a locator spell but it went wrong and I have no idea why. I did the spell exactly as the instructions said to and it still created a huge mess. So no, I'm not getting much closer to freeing Cedric."

"There's something else bugging you isn't there?"

Sofia nodded. "Lately, I've been having wierd dreams. They always seem to have two parts. The first part, I'll be doing something completely normal and looking absolutely normal. It's like I'm getting glimpses of what my life could have like been if the accident never happened. But then it changes and suddenly I'm bald and scarred again and something bad happens. One night, it was someone telling me that I failed and that everything that's happened over the last seven years is my fault. I couldn't see the person speaker but I knew who it was just by the voice, even though I haven't heard it for seven years."

"Cedric?"

Sofia nodded. Amber wrapped an arm around her sister.

"That has to be hard, having dreams like that. Is that why you've been pushing yourself again?"

"Yeah. It's like some part of me thinks that if I get Cedric out of the amulet, the nightmares will end and maybe things will be normal again."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Sofia, but things will never be normal again. Things will never be the way they could have been if the accident never happened. What you make of the new normal is completeły up to you."

Sofia nodded. Amber tightened her hold on her sister.

"I have an idea," Amber said, her expression brightening. "Let's have a sleepover here and tomorrow, let's ditch castle life and have a girl's day out. We haven't done that in a long time."

"That sounds fun. Think fast!"

Sofia grabbed a pillow and whacked her sister with it. Amber screeched.

"You are so on!"


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N: Why did the spell fail? We may not ever know. Except that I decided it would. And how much longer until Cedric is finally free? You'll just have to continue reading to find out.**

**I own nothing!)**

_One year later_

Sofia forced a smile as the son of an earl from a neighboring kingdom complimented her on the beauty of her dress. The princess had just about turned her dad into a frog when he told her that another young man wished to meet her and spend the morning with her.

Not that Sofia was all that surprised when the suitor business came up again. She was twenty years old after all. But this was the fourth potential suitor since her twentieth birthday came two months ago and the fifth one overall. None of them seemed to appreciate her fiery personality and that she had refused to wear anymore wigs for three years.

_It's time for Mr. Peacock- I mean the younger Lord Byron to go back home._

"So Princess Sofia, I do hope you would accompany me back home."

"Excuse me?" Sofia could not believe what her guest had just said.

"Come with me for a visit to my family's estate," Lord Byron said. "Let me show you what I will inherit and introduce you to my family. If it's to your liking, there's a small church where we can quickly tie the knot. Of course, you will need to start wearing wigs again and stop showing off your scars. Oh and no more magic. It's very unladylike."

Sofia was stunned. It wasn't the first time a potential suitor had mentioned giving up magic or that she should wear wigs and extremely modest clothes that would probably only belong in a nunnery. It was, however, the first time that someone had blatantly mentioned marriage during the first meeting.

Sofia was about to say something when the brash young man made a move to kiss her.

_Oh no you don't!_

"Peacock transformitus!"

The young man gave a small cry of shock when he got changed into a peacock.

"Returno homeo!"

The young man turned peacock went up in a puff of green smoke that headed back towards the kingdom the noble had come from.

Sofia shuddered and stormed to the castle courtyard where James was peppering Lord Byron's servants with questions about the family they served.

"Sof!" James called out when he saw his sister. "Where's your guest?"

"That cocky, overstuffed peacock should be arriving back home to his estate right about now!" Sofia said before turning to Lord Byron's servants. "It's time for you to go home. Tell your young master that if he ever comes back here, I will permanently turn him into the toad that he is."

The two servants paled, bowed, and then scurried away.

"That bad huh?" James asked.

"Yup."

"Dislikes magic?"

"Hates it with a passion."

"Made a jab about wigs and more modest gowns?"

"Called my appearance unladylike and only two seconds after telling me that my dress was beautiful."

"Did you actually turn him into a toad?"

"I should have. I turned him into a fat peacock. He'll change back once he returns home though. Anyhow, you haven't heard the worst part yet. He invited me back to his estate to see it, meet his family, and get married. Then he tried to kiss me!"

James bit back a small chuckle. "You really should have turned him into a toad, permanently. That would show him that he can't treat beautiful ladies like that."

"Well maybe the next time a potential suitor makes a move like that, I will. I need to go. Winifred invited me to Mystic Meadows for tea today. Cordelia and Calista will be there too. I should be back in time for dinner."

James waved as his sister mounted Minimus and took to the skies. Sofia sighed once airborne. She hadn't been over to see Cedric's family in too long.

Minutes later, Sofia sat with the females in Cedric's family, recounting her story about the latest suitor fail.

"Someday Sofia, there will be a great man waiting just for you," Winifred said. "Just try not to turn anyone into rodents or other small, unpleasant creatures on the way. At least not permanently."

"I'll try," Sofia said. "Truth be said, I hate the whole suitor business. Especially when I'm so close yet so far from freeing Cedric."

"So you haven't found the family wand?" Cordelia asked.

Sofia shook her head. "I've searched the entire castle grounds, been to several wand stalls at magic marketplaces, and even searched the tower again, just in case I missed a spot. But there's been nothing."

"Tell me about the family wand," Calista said. "Mummy doesn't talk much about it."

Sofia made an image of the wand appear over her hand.

"It's a wand that has been in the family for many generations," Cordelia said. "It gets passed from father to son when the son proves he is ready for it."

"It's a very powerful wand," Sofia added. "I helped Cedric prove to Goodwin that he was ready for it several years ago. You should have seen Cedric's expression when he finally received it. He was so happy. And it was a huge turning point in his relationship with Goodwin."

Calista was very quiet as she looked at the wand in the image. The teenager's rosy cheeks had turned white and her eyes were full of shock.

"That's the wand that you think put Uncle Ceddy in your amulet?" Calista asked.

"More than think," Sofia said. "I know it. I've known it for nearly a year now."

Calista became very sheepish.

"Calista, what's wrong?" Cordelia asked.

"I've seen that wand before. The day of the accident, I saw it on the floor in the workshop. I know where it is."


	19. Chapter 19

**(A/N: You guys, I think the last time I was so entertained reading your reviews was all the way back in chapter four when Sofia realized her amulet had changed colors. **

**NerdsinaTree- the reason Calista never said anything is because she didn't know much about the family wand or what it looks like. You'll have to keep reading to learn just what happened.**

**I own nothing!)**

_Calista was very quiet as she looked at the wand in the image. The teenager's rosy cheeks had turned white and her eyes were full of shock..._

_"Calista what's wrong?"_

_"I've seen that wand before… I know where it is."_

.

"What?" Sofia said louder than normal. "Where is it?"

"I took it from his workshop after realizing he was completely gone. I hoped it would help me remember him better. I didn't realize it was the family wand or that it was so important."

"Oh Calista, I thought you were finished with taking things that don't belong to you," Cordelia admonished.

"Calista, where is it?" Sofia asked in a near demanding tone. "I need it in order to bring your uncle back! And it still belongs to him."

Calista flicked her hand in an upward motion and the wand appeared in her hand. She was only barely able to make a move to hold it out to Sofia when the princess grabbed it and took off.

"Come on Minimus! We got to hurry!"

Pushing Minimus to fly as quickly as he could, Sofia gripped the wand tightly. She probably would have had Minimus fly straight to Avalor. But that flight was too long and the purple flying horse was not as young as he used to be. And Sofia still needed to let her family know that she was leaving. Sofia glanced at the amulet, which seemed to be glowing excitedly.

"We've done it, Cedric," Sofia said softly. "You're going to be free once again."

Minimus landed in the castle courtyard. Sofia hopped off the horse, just to see Roland taking a stroll outside.

"Dad!"

"Oh Sofia, you're home early. James told me about this morning's incident with Lord Byron."

"Not now Dad," Sofia interrupted. "I need to go out to Avalor! Immediately! I got the wand. Calista had it the whole time."

"Sofia, you have another visitor tomorrow morning. And a good one too."

"That's what was said about the last five visitors."

"It's Prince Desmond. Surely you remember him from Royal Prep?"

"I do, but that's not the point. I finally can free Cedric. We can have our royal sorcerer back. You're not going to stop me."

"I'm not going to but you still need to be here tomorrow to see Prince Desmond. Cedric has waited patiently for eight years. He can patiently wait one more day."

"But Dad-"

"No buts about it. You agreed to meet any potential suitors who come here. You're staying until tomorrow morning."

"Fine. Tomorrow morning! I'm going to pack a bag so that I'm ready to make the trip out to Avalor."

Sofia disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. She appeared in her bedroom before she smirked.

_Sorry Dad, you said wait until tomorrow morning and that's exactly what I'm going to do._


	20. Chapter 20

**(A/N: allyrwhitney, NerdsinaTree, your reveiws from the last chapter were so similar. It tripped me up a little bit when I got email notifications regarding them.**

**Well, you guys are probably biting your nails off waiting to see what happens next so I won't keep you at all here in my note.**

**I own nothing!)**

Roland wasn't sure if he was surprised or not the next morning, when Sofia didn't show up to breakfast. He knew she was a little mad at him for making her wait but it wasn't to be helped. She had a visitor who was to arrive any minute now, after all. Still, not seeing his daughter there at breakfast, it was a cold reminder to Roland of how much had changed over the last eight years.

"Excuse Your Majesties, there is a message from Prince Desmond."

"Thank you Baileywick," Roland said, taking the scroll.

He read over the words, his expression unreadable. After a moment, Roland crumpled the paper.

"Did something happen?" Miranda asked. "Is Prince Desmond not coming today?"

"No, it appears not. The message is actually meant for Sofia. It mentioned something about how she must take care of her urgent matters and that he would be happy to come another time. In other words, Sofia probably isn't in Enchancia anymore."

"Well, she got the wand," Amber said. "She knows she can finally free Cedric. What made you think she was going to wait?"

Roland sighed. "I'm just surprised she actually sent a message out to Prince Desmond and asked him not to come. She agreed to meet with any potential suitors who came her way."

Amber chuckled. "And this potential suitor was one that she is good friends with and knew wouldn't mind her having to postpone a meeting. And like you said, the agreement was that she meet with the young men who come here. If the young man doesn't come, she doesn't have to be here. At this point, there's nothing we can do but wait for her to return with Cedric."

oOo

Sofia landed in Avalor, yawning as she dismounted from her broom. Leaving at four in the morning and flying all day had to be one of the worst ideas she ever came up with. At least she made it very quickly, thanks to speed spells and some short range transportation spells. Hearing the chimes of a clock tower nearby, Sofia knew it was six in the evening.

Quickly, the Enchancian princess headed for the ruins, not wanting to take any time to let Elena know she was there. As she went through the ruins, Sofia thought of the many times she had gone there. Thinking back to the day before, Sofia still couldn't believe that Calista had had the needed wand all along.

_I could have freed Cedric eight years ago!_

Sofia came to the lake, knowing how it worked. She set her bag and broom down and looked at the white wand in her hand. Smiling happily, if not a little tiredly, Sofia jumped into the lake, morphing into a mermaid as she did. Sofia couldn't wait to place the wand and amulet onto the crown. When she did, she saw the sparkling that had once brought Elena out of the amulet. Excitedly, Sofia slid down the statue to the floor so that she could be there to greet the long lost sorcerer. As Cedric started to appear, the young princess' heart skipped a beat or two.

Finally, Cedric appeared completely and Sofia didn't waste a moment launching herself towards him to give him a hug.

"Cedric! You're back!"

Cedric took a moment to shake himself out of a small daze from being brought out of the amulet before he returned the hug Sofia had trapped him in.

"Thank you Princess."

Sofia pulled back from him after a moment so that she could look at him properly. His appearance spoke of having been burned in the accident too, several charred holes on his clothes and some old burn scars on the back of his neck and his bare hands. Cedric looked closely at Sofia, who was just about half a foot shorter than him now.

"You got tall."

"What happened that morning?" Sofia asked. "What spell were you working on? Why did you wait for seven years before letting me know what wand I needed to use?"

"The spell… I was at a critical point in casting it and when you came in to let me know that I had visitors, I stopped focusing on the spell long enough to let it go very wrong," Cedric explained.

"What spell was it?"

"I wish I could tell you."

"What do you mean you wish you could tell me? Did you forget what it was? If not, you can tell me."

Cedric placed his hands on Sofia's upper arms, which were bare as she wore a short sleeved dress. Sofia felt her heart skip another beat at the contact and her cheeks heat as well.

_What's wrong with me?_

"I would tell you if I could."

Sofia pouted a bit. Cedric smirked at the young princess' face.

"Now Princess, I do believe you woke up very early this morning and need some sleep before we go home."

"We'll go up to the castle," Sofia said. "Queen Elena has told me that I was welcome there anytime during the quest to bring you out. It's time to introduce you to her and let her know it's been done. We'll stay the night up there and then go home tomorrow."

Cedric nodded in approval.

They began the trek out of the ruins and towards the castle. When they were about halfway through the forests surrounding the ruins, Sofia started to lag behind her friend. Cedric heard sniffling sounds that told him that his young friend was crying. He turned around and gave her a hug, letting her tears soak into his robe.

"Sofia, what's wrong?"

"All this time that I could've gotten you out and I wasn't able to because I didn't ask the right questions. I didn't realize the family wand was missing. I didn't think to ask Calista if she took anything from the workshop without permission. I could've freed you a long time ago. I'm so sorry Cedric."

"Sofia, none of this was your fault. If someone is to blame, it would be me. I started this whole mess. You wouldn't have been scarred nor would you have lost your hair if I hadn't tried the spell or failed to protect you from it."

Cedric pulled a tissue out of thin air and gently wiped away Sofia's tears. Sofia felt her skin tingle as her friend wiped away the tears.

_I must be tired. I'm losing it._

"Sofia, I never want to hear of you blaming yourself for any of this ever again. Do you understand?"

Sofia nodded. Cedric smiled softly before placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"Good. Come now, we still have a ways to go to get to the castle."

The two continued walking on when a welcome sight landed in front of them. Two jaquins smiled at the visitors.

"Hey Sofia!" Skylar said. "Looks like you got your friend out!"

"I did. This is Cedric the Great, the royal sorcerer of Enchancia. Cedric, this is Skylar and Luna. They've been good friends while out here in Avalor."

"Anyways," Skylar continued. "Elena saw you speeding towards the ruins. She figured you must have finally gotten the answer to freeing Cedric, hence you not even saying hello before going towards the ruins. We volunteered to come give you a lift back to the castle."

"Thanks."

Soon, the two Enchancians were mounted on the backs of the jaquins and flying through the sky. Minutes later, they landed at the castle where it seemed everyone in the Avalor royal family and staff was waiting to welcome Sofia and Cedric.

"Sofia! You did it! Again! If anyone could do this, it would be you."

Elena tightly hugged Sofia. The Enchancian princess smiled tiredly.

"Thanks, Elena," Sofia said.

"Come," Elena said. "You both must be exhausted from this day. There are some refreshments ready out on the balcony and then bedrooms waiting for you. Stay as long as you need to in order to be ready for your trip back home."

The two visitors nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

**(A/N: Your reviews make me smile. I can literally feel your excitement at Sofia finally succeeding. As well your awes over Cedric comforting Sofia over her guilt at not being able to free him sooner.**

**theblindwriter95- don't get too mad at Calista for causing Sofia to suffer for so long. Something was going to happen that would make things extremely difficult and long winded in Sofia's journey to release Cedric, whether it was someone malicious interfering or just a sweet, innocent girl who was afraid she would never see her favorite uncle again and wanted something to remember him by.**

**I own nothing!)**

The next day, Sofia woke up well after breakfast. She slipped her feet out of bed and into her shoes. Yawning, the still very tired princess got ready for the day. After making sure she was presentable, Sofia walked out to the balcony where Cedric was pacing back and forth. He stopped when he saw his princess enter.

"Good morning, Princess."

"Good morning, Cedric. Is it still morning? I feel like I slept longer than that."

"It's nearly lunchtime," Cedric answered. "You wore yourself out very much yesterday, waking up early and flying all day. Even a blind person could see you were very exhausted. And by the looks of things, you still are tired."

Sofia didn't even try to deny she was still worn out from the events of the previous day. So she simply walked over to Cedric and looked over the balcony with him.

"It's beautiful out here," Sofia said. "Whoever built the castle with this particular view did a good job."

"Perhaps. But I can think of one view that's more beautiful than it. You."

Sofia looked up at Cedric in surprise, her cheeks turning red.

"No, you jest," Sofia said, looking away.

"I've never joked with you."

Sofia shook her head. Cedric gently took her hands and pulled her up against him, holding her tightly against him.

"Sofia, do you remember what your sister told you the day you put the amulet back on? She told you not to let anyone make you believe that you weren't special or beautiful. That applies to you too. Don't keep telling yourself that you're not special. It simply isn't true."

"You don't have to lie to me, Cedric."

"I'm not lying. I promise."

Cedric gently stroked the young princess' head. Sofia said nothing, not certain what even to say.

"You've come a long way, Sofia. You've learned much in your studies. You've stood up to your family, your peers, and others to prove that you had something important to do."

Sofia pulled away from Cedric, shaking her head. Cedric's eyes narrowed as he watched his young friend start to pace.

"I don't even know what you, my family, and others see in me," Sofia sat on the balcony. "People may call me princess but in the end, I'm still just a village girl in the castle."

Cedric stepped over to Sofia and sat by her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closely against him.

"Sofia, you are a wonderful young lady. Maybe you started your life as a village and it has been a major part of who you are today. But you are a princess now. And what people see in you is an amazing young lady who loves deeply and brings a spark wherever she goes. You are enough and it's time for you to start believing it. And those who make fun of you for being different are not worth your attention. So stop giving it to them. That's how they win."

Sofia leaned into Cedric a bit and sighed.

"Do you really think bald, scarred, and unladylike me is enough?"

"I do. In fact, you are more than enough in my eyes."

Sofia looked back so that she could see her friend's face.

"Thank you, Mr. Ceeeedric."

"Crazy princess, it's…" Cedric saw Sofia smirking. "You did that on purpose!"

"No I didn't."

"Right. And I'm Merlin."

Sofia turned and stood up, still smiling.

"No, you're Mr. Ceeeedric, the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

"That's it!"

Cedric started chasing after Sofia who squealed in laughter. They chased each other around the balcony for a couple minutes until Cedric finally caught the young princess, pulled her into his arm and started tickling her. Sofia laughed helplessly as she was tickled.

"Do you surrender, Princess?"

"No! Never!"

"Suit yourself," Cedric responded as he tickled his captive even harder.

Sofia laughed even harder, not even realizing she could. She started to squirm as the tickling got a little uncomfortable for her.

"Okay Cedric, you win!"

As soon as Sofia said the words, Cedric released her. Sofia was certain she was blushing again.

_What's wrong with me? It's just Cedric!_

Cedric smiled and took Sofia's hand and gently placed a kiss on it. Sofia knew for sure she was blushing again.

_I'm doomed._


	22. Chapter 22

**(A/N: Guest reviewer- you're pretty accurate. But there is no probably about it. Cedric IS the only person who can give Sofia that reassurance and have her believe it. Her drop in confidence was a result of her feeling guilty over the accident so the only person who could give her the boost she desperately needed is the person who she feels she failed.**

**By the way, last chapter was a lot of fun to write. And by the looks of things, you guys had just as much fun reading it as I did writing it.**

**I own nothing!)**

_"What spell was it?"_

_"I wish I could tell you... I would tell you if I could."_

The next morning, Sofia woke up feeling very well rested. Smiling to herself, she got ready for breakfast. She was ready to return home and Cedric said they would leave after breakfast. They would have gone the day before but Sofia was still very exhausted and Cedric had bribed her to stay one more night. He told her he would teach her a long distance transportation spell. So the princess consented.

Once she was dressed and had her bag ready, Sofia headed out to the balcony where the morning meal was to be held. Not surprisingly, Cedric was already out there.

"Good morning Cedric."

"Good morning Sofia."

She walked over to the balcony and looked out over the view and motioned to Cedric for him to join her. He smiled and joined her.

"I'm going to miss this view," Sofia said. "It's become a favorite look over the years."

"Perhaps we'll come back out here and visit Queen Elena and your friends out here," Cedric said.

"I'd like that."

A few hours later, the two were getting ready to head out. They had eaten, Sofia had her bag and broom strapped to her back. The royal family of Avalor and some of the palace servants were waiting to see the Enchancian visitors off. Elena gave Sofia a big hug.

"You know you're always welcome here," Elena said.

"Thank you Elena."

Elena stepped over to Cedric, shook his hand, and then whispered something into his ear. The sorcerer went a little pale at what the queen told him but nodded.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Sofia gave the two a quizzical look but said nothing. Cedric stepped back from Elena and took Sofia's hand. The Avalorans who were watching, stepped back, knowing a spell was about to be cast.

"Ready, Sofia?"

Sofia nodded. "Let's go home."

Cedric placed his family wand in Sofia's hand and then wrapped his hand around hers. Certain that the wand was tightly gripped in their hands, Cedric wrapped his other arm around Sofia tightly.

"Alright, the words are Iter Facio Enchancia. You lightly tap the tip of the wand on both our heads then point it up at the sky. Then you say the words. Got it?"

Sofia smiled and nodded.

"Good. We should land at the same spot without us holding onto each other but I'd rather not have us get separated or lost."

The two Enchancians tapped their heads with the wand then pointed the wand up at the sky.

"Iter Facio Enchancia!"

A dark storm cloud with silver and purple hues appeared. Sofia's eyes widened as a bolt of lightning connected with the wand she and Cedric were holding. As the lightning receded, the two were pulled up into the cloud, which then started moving towards Enchancia at a faster speed than Sofia had ever experienced.

oOo

Back in Enchancia, two families were pacing anxiously in the castle throne room. Calista was the most subdued of the two nervous families, possibly because she had been grounded for taking the family wand without permission.

After a little while, Baileywick came bursting into the room.

"Your Majesties! A huge storm front is coming towards us at an alarming rate! Too fast to be normal."

The two families hurried out to the courtyard to look at the approaching cloud. A flash of lightning struck a couple miles away from the castle and then the cloud completely disappeared.

"That was strange," Roland said.

"Not as strange as you might think, Your Majesty," Cordelia said. "I've seen that type of cloud before. It's a transportation spell. It's for long distances. It isn't used very often because it's not instantaneous and it can wear the caster out."

"'Long distances'?" Amber repeated questionly. "As in Avalor long distance?"

"Sure, but Sofia doesn't know very many transportation spells," Winifred answered. "Much less a long distance one like this."

"But Uncle Ceddy would," Calista said.

The two families looked at Calista as she stated what definitely should have been obvious. The young sorceress conjured an image over her hand of the spot where the lightning had struck.

.

_"That was fun," Sofia said. "I'll have to remember that the next time I go somewhere far away."_

_Cedric smiled at the young princess. Sofia pulled back the hood of her traveling cloak. Cedric offered his arm to Sofia, who took it happily._

_"I'm glad you liked it."_

_"Cedric, when we get back to the castle, will you continue teaching me magic, please?"_

_"Of course Sofia. There's nothing I'd like more."_

_Sofia gripped Cedric's arm excitedly, earning a smile from the sorcerer. While the princess was momentarily distracted, Cedric looked forward (almost directly at Calista) and made a small flicking motion with his free hand._

.

Calista suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth and nose, a startled gasp coming from her. The image disappeared, but not before everyone watching could see a satisfied smirk appear on Cedric's face.

"What was that all about?" Amber asked.

"I think my brother somehow knew we were watching them," Cordelia said. "How he did is beyond me, though."

The two families continued to wait for their distant members to return. After what felt like an eternity, a puff of purple smoke appeared in front of them and disappeared to reveal Sofia and Cedric.

The next several minutes was an excited clamor of the two families congratulating Sofia on finally succeeding and welcoming Cedric back. After a while, the clamor died down a little bit and Goodwin asked the question that had been in the back of everyone's minds for eight long years.

"What happened that morning, Son?"

"I was working on some spell and when Sofia came into the workshop, I was momentarily distracted. Not very long in reality but long enough for the spell to go wrong. When I realized what was happening, I tried to protect Sofia but a burst of magic from the awry spell caused the protection spell to hit her amulet. The spell and amulet had some strange reaction and pulled me in. I lost consciousness going in and didn't fully wake up until the day after Sofia returned from her first trip out to Avalor."

"At which point, you showed me some of your memory of what happened in order to let me know that you were in there," Sofia said, thoughtfully. "Which reminds me, why did you wait seven years to let me know it was the family wand I needed to free you?"

"I lost a great deal of my memory of that morning. When I showed you that first piece of my memory of what happened, that was all I could remember. It took a long time for me to remember the little bit that I do."

Sofia glanced at her friend and realized he was probably not comfortable answering anymore questions about the incident.

"Enough about that morning," Sofia said. "What's done is done."

Sofia's tone left no room for debate. After a silent moment, Baileywick came up and whispered something into Roland's ear. Roland nodded and the steward left.

"Come everyone, there's been a meal prepared for everyone. Tonight, we celebrate this happy day and look to a brighter future."

Sofia smiled as she joined her friends and family in going inside to eat.

For the next few hours, the two families celebrated. It was very pleasant and wonderful but after a while, Sofia and Cedric quietly snuck out. Both were tired from the long trip back and were quite ready for some peace and quiet.

The two snuck off to Cedric's tower. Inside, Cedric looked over his space which looked mostly the same as before the accident.

"I can't tell you how good it is to see all of this again through my own eyes," Cedric said, placing his family wand back in its case.

"I'm glad you're back Cedric. I've missed you. Even if you were technically with me the whole time, I still missed you."

Cedric smiled and pulled Sofia into a warm embrace.

"I've missed you too. Who else is going to come knocking on my door just because she wants to watch me at work?"

Sofia giggled.

"Maybe I can do the work with you. I am getting better at spells and potions."

"Isn't that part of you being my apprentice? I seem to recall you asking me to be your mentor again this morning."

"And you're going to have a hard time shaking me off of you."

Cedric chuckled.

"Of course. Now I think it's time for a certain young princess to go to bed. Good night, Sofia."

Sofia pouted a bit but nodded.

"Good night, Mr. Ceeedric."

Cedric rolled his eyes. Some things would never change.


	23. Chapter 23

**(A/N: I can tell some of you might be catching onto my little hints that something isn't quite right. As of right now, four reviews have mentioned it. Any guesses as to what it is?**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia woke up the next morning with a big smile on her face. She had done it. She still sometimes couldn't believe she had actually freed Cedric.

Sofia quickly got dressed and headed down to breakfast. In the dining room, the rest of the family was there.

"Sofia, how are you?" Amber asked.

"Good. Oh no. I forgot to undo the barrier spell on the tower yesterday!"

"It can wait ten minutes while you eat breakfast," Miranda said.

Sofia shot her mom a quick glare but returned her attention to her food.

"Well at least we went to his tower together for a few minutes last night so he at least isn't completely blocked out."

Sofia quickly finished her food and excused herself. She ran out to the tower and saw Cedric outside walking through some nearby gardens.

"Hi Cedric!"

Cedric looked up from the rose bush he was at.

"Good morning Sofia."

Cedric held a dark pink rose to Sofia.

"For you."

Sofia accepted the rose and smiled.

"Thank you," Sofia said, smelling the rose. "It's beautiful."

"Anything for you, Sofia."

Sofia fingered the rose gently. A subtle blush graced her cheeks.

"Can we go up to your tower and work on some magic together?"

"Of course, Sofia."

"And I still need to bring down the barrier around the tower."

Cedric chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"This is."

Cedric stepped away from Sofia and went straight into the tower. Sofia stared at the doorway. There was not supposed to be anyway Cedric could go into the tower unless she went in with him. From the doorway, Cedric smirked.

"You didn't read the fine print under the spell, did you?"

Sofia continued staring shamelessly.

"Good grief, Sofia, you look like you were told you were getting married to a complete stranger."

Sofia shook herself out of her shock. She walked up to the tower, muttering the counter spell as she went.

"I don't understand," Sofia said.

"Looks like our first lesson today will involve you reading that spell again and looking very closely at the fine print."

"I read the fine print!" Sofia protested.

"Really? If you did, you would know that once you bring someone into the blocked off area several times, you've given them permission to enter at will."

"But I only brought you through once. How… Oh right. The amulet. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn."

"Starting with reading the fine print under spells. Might save your life someday."

Sofia nodded as she followed Cedric into the tower.

Over the next couple weeks, Sofia spent nearly all her time up in the tower with Cedric. She learned lots under Cedric's tutelage and increased her magic capabilities. Not only that, she just enjoyed truly being with her friend. And Cedric enjoyed having Sofia with him as well.


	24. Chapter 24

**(A/N: allyrwhitney, you're on the right track. Different colored roses have different meanings. A red rose does communicate love but that's not what Cedric gave Sofia. He gave her a _dark_ pink rose, which signifies gratitude and appreciation. The number of roses also have significance, as well which hand one accepts a rose with, but those are different conversations completely.**

**Guest reviewer, how are things going to be different since both are now adults? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. **

**And for all of you feeling the sweetness...well...**

**I own nothing!)**

One morning, Sofia was up earlier than normal. She was in the kitchen grabbing a basketful of a variety of breakfast foods. She wanted to surprise Cedric with a picnic breakfast.

Sofia was almost finished filling the basket when a light tap on her shoulder brought her attention to Baileywick.

"Princess Sofia, you're wanted in the throne room right away."

Sofia nodded. "Thank you Baileywick."

Sofia set the basket down and headed towards the throne room, wondering what was going on that early. She quickly got an answer when she saw a young man there who looked like he would be a high ranking noble.

"Sofia, this is Alexander, the younger son of Duke and Duchess Graham of Zumaria," Roland said.

"Please, call me Alex," the visitor said. "I'm only Alexander when I'm in trouble. It is a pleasure to meet you Princess Sofia."

Sofia nodded slightly towards her visitor before turning to face her dad.

"I thought we agreed that you would let me know when I have a visitor coming."

Roland cleared his throat and gave a glance towards the visiting noble.

"Right," Sofia deadpanned before facing her visitor. "It is a pleasure to have you here, Alexander."

Roland shook his head slightly. Already, this visit was not going very well. Sofia made a motion to Alexander for him to follow her.

"Come, we'll go for a walk through the gardens and maybe have a light breakfast by the butterflies," Sofia said.

"Sounds delightful," Alexander said.

Outside, Sofia made polite conversation with her guest. As they walked through the gardens, the disinterested princess caught a glimpse of the place she really wanted to be- Cedric's tower.

"So Princess Sofia, I've heard some interesting stories about you and I was curious about them."

Sofia nearly groaned. "What stories?"

"I've heard you were in a magical accident and lost all of your hair as a result and refused wigs," Alexander said. "Obviously, there has to be some truth to that as you have no hair now and wear no wig. I've also heard you insulted King Magnus at your sixteenth birthday party and ran away the next day and didn't return for over a year."

"I don't know where you've heard all that!" Sofia said sharply. "I didn't insult King Magnus. He insulted me and then had the audacity to cut off connections with Enchancia. What does that matter to you?"

Alexander didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Sofia by the wrists and shoved her up against a garden hedge.

"My mother was from Rudistan. She moved to Zumaria when she married my father. Visiting family back in Rudistan, I got to meet King Magnus, whom an uncle of mine serves as royal advisor. He is a great king. Anyone who insults him deserves to rot in his dungeon."

"You'll never take me away from my home," Sofia said bravely. "Make a move against me and you will regret it deeply."

"I won't regret anything I do to you."

Alexander pulled Sofia away from the hedge and shoved her down to the ground. Sofia stood up quickly and reached for her wand. As soon as it was out of her pocket, Alexander grabbed it broke it in half, and threw the two pieces aside.

"I know the stories about you. I know you favor a wand to a hand mirror or whatever princesses normally like."

Sofia took a step back. Alexander grabbed the princess again, that time going for her neck. Sofia gasped for air as the violent visitor started to squeeze.

"Goodbye Princess Sofia. May scum like you never last long ever again."

Alexander started to squeeze harder when all of a sudden, a blast of black light hit him in the back. His grip on Sofia dropped away as he started to shrink into a beady eyed rat. Sofia looked up in surprise to see Cedric pointing his wand at the unwelcome visitor, a rage filling his eyes that Sofia had never seen before.

"Facio cagium!"

A cage trapped the little rodent who started squeaking in protest. Cedric pocketed his wand and ran over to Sofia.

"Sofia are you okay? Did he hurt you badly?"

Sofia hugged her rescuer tightly as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Cedric held his princess just as tightly.

"It was terrible," Sofia said through her sobs. "He knew I'd try using magic on him and took my wand and broke it. He claims that I insulted King Magnus the night of my ball and that he was doing this as revenge for him. He said he met that pompous windbag and that he actually liked him."

Cedric held the scared princess tightly. "It's going to be okay. I've got you. We need to go talk to your father and tell him what just happened so that he can take the necessary actions to make sure this is righted."

Sofia nodded numbly. Keeping an arm protectively around the princess, Cedric grabbed the cage and guided Sofia to walk with him to the throne room.

Inside the throne room, Roland was reading over a report. Cedric sent the door flying open, startling the king.

"Cedric-!" Roland started, less than thrilled at the interruption.

"Save it, King Roland!" Cedric interrupted. "The latest so called suitor just went after your daughter with intentions of either bringing her great harm or killing her!"

The report Roland had been reading fell to the floor forgotten. Concern flooded the king's eyes as he noticed his daughter protectively held in Cedric's arm and the caged rat in the sorcerer's other hand.

"What happened?"

"I didn't see all of it but I did see him pushing her around like a rag doll and his hand on her neck, choking her. I turned him into a rat and even on pain of death, I am not returning him to his human form. He's lucky I didn't turn him into a slug and step on him!"

"He said his mother was originally from Rudistan and that he had met King Magnus and took a liking to him," Sofia added softly. "He heard a twisted version of what happened at my sixteenth birthday ball. He also broke my wand."

Anger flared in Roland's eyes. "That bastard," he muttered under his breath. "Thank you, Cedric, for keeping Sofia safe."

"I failed once to keep her safe. I'm not ever going to fail protecting her again, cost me what it may."

Roland nodded slightly. He stepped over to Sofia and gently touched her arm. A pang of pain surged through him when she pulled away from his touch.

"Sofia?"

"We had an agreement, Dad. I would attend some more royal functions and see potential suitors who came calling and you would let me know ahead of time when I had a visitor coming. Was it so hard to at the very least have Baileywick come find me and tell me that that rat was coming?"

"I'm sorry it didn't go very well Sofia. I honestly thought this visit would be better."

"Well it wasn't! In fact Dad, I don't want anymore suitors sent my way! You haven't been able to send a single good suitor my way so just stop. If I have to deal with suitors, I'm dealing with them personally. You send them and I'm turning them into rodents."

Sofia ran out of the throne room, leaving Cedric's arm empty.

"She has a point, Your Majesty. You haven't sent a single good suitor her way."

"Cedric, I don't need to hear it from you. I already know I haven't done very good with the suitor business."

Cedric scoffed. "Just the suitor business? You haven't handled a lot of things very well regarding her since the accident. If I recall correctly, you were the one who pressured her to start wearing wigs in the first place. Not to mention your cold words to her the day after she turned sixteen."

"That's enough Cedric!"

"It is not. You haven't been by her side comforting her when she was crying herself to sleep nearly every night for the past eight years. You didn't see her pain as she looked at herself in the mirror, hating her reflection. You would have no way of knowing how many times she shattered any mirror she came across, particularly my mirror. You weren't by her side telling her she could do it. You didn't hear her tell herself that she's nothing special. I saw everything she's been through during the last eight years. Everything! Whatever you think sums up the amount of suffering she's been through doesn't even touch the surface. You can't stand to hear me talk about this because you know it's true."

Roland glared at the sorcerer but said nothing. Knowing he won, Cedric gave a slightly smug smirk before he went up in smoke, leaving the king with a caged rat that needed to be dealt with.

Cedric reappeared in the garden where the incident happened. He picked up the broken pieces of Sofia's wand and looked at them. The wand had been a gift from Amber that she had picked out with great help and advice from Winifred. It was Sofia's favorite wand and her most powerful one too. To see it broken, Cedric could feel his heart breaking for the younger princess. Wands were near impossible to fix.

Cedric glanced up at his tower and nodded slightly. He had a good idea where the princess was hiding. So Cedric went up to his tower.

He was right. His mirror had been shattered again and Sofia was sitting in the shards of glass. Cedric shook his head and strode right over to the princess. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the pieces of glass, dismayed to see that some of them were stained with fresh blood.

"Come here Sofia."

Sofia didn't even try fighting against Cedric as he pulled her against him and tightly held her. With the princess no longer in the glass shards, Cedric pointed his wand at the mess and made the mirror and all it's broken pieces disappear. Another flick of his wand removed the blood stains from Sofia's dress and healed the cuts from the glass.

"Sofia, it's going to be okay. You've come this far, don't let this get you down."

Sofia sighed. "I don't think I've ever seen my dad so mad about anything."

"Well if he was mad before you left, he is going to be even more so. I yelled at him after you left."

Sofia looked up at Cedric in surprise.

"You yelled at him? You actually yelled at my dad, the king?"

Cedric nodded and Sofia started to laugh. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing that needs repeating."

Sofia laughed even harder. "That bad, huh?"

"He'll get over it. He has bigger problems to deal with than a royal sorcerer overstepping boundaries."

Sofia nodded. Cedric brushed a tear away from Sofia's face. Sofia blushed softly at the contact.

"So what will we do today?" Cedric asked. "Your choice. We can work on a new spell together or go out to the magician's marketplace and get you a new wand. Or whatever you would like to do. You pick."

"I just want to be out of the castle for now," Sofia said softly.

"As you wish."

Cedric held Sofia firmly and transported out of the tower.

oOo

That night, Cedric looked out his window at the starry sky. A gentle breeze caused his two toned hair to sway back and forth. After a moment, he turned and looked at a welcome sight.

After they had returned almost two hours before, Sofia and Cedric had looked through a new spell book together until the drained princess had fallen asleep on his shoulder. That had prompted Cedric to conjure up the bed that Sofia had many times slept on in his workshop. Of course, with a flick of his wand, Cedric could have sent the princess to her own room to sleep but after the events of that morning, he wanted to keep her close and continue protecting her. Sofia turned in her sleep, causing her blanket to fall onto the floor. Cedric picked up the blanket and placed it back on the sleeping princess. As he did, his finger brushed her cheek. A small hint of a smile graced Sofia's lips and Cedric smiled warmly. He knelt by her side and gazed softly at her sleeping form.

"I will protect you always," Cedric whispered.


	25. Chapter 25

**(A/N: Reading your reviews, it looks like the general consensus is that we all hate that rat, Roland needs to get his act together (don't worry, he will), kudos to Sofia for setting her foot down about suitors, and thank goodness for Cedric's intervention.**

**NerdsinaTree and Allyrwhitney, you two keep tripping me up with how often your reviews say very similar things. Seriously, last chapter I got an email notification about one of your reviews then the second notification woke me up from a nap and I couldn't figure out where the second review was. Feel free to laugh at me, I laughed too once I figured out what was going on.**

**I own nothing!)**

_"Someday Sofia, there will be a great man for you."_

The next morning, Sofia woke up and looked around the workshop. She saw Cedric asleep at his desk, his head resting on an open book. Sofia giggled softly at the sight before she quietly left. She searched for Amber and found her on her way to the dining hall for breakfast.

"Oh Sofia! There you are! We've all been worried about you. After yesterday's incident, no one saw you again."

"I'm okay, Amber. I spent the day with Cedric. We went out to the magician's marketplace. Anyhow, would you have breakfast with me away from the rest of the family? I need to talk with someone."

Amber nodded then flagged down a passing servant.

"Marci! Please retrieve some breakfast for Sofia and I and have it brought to my room. And also inform our parents that we won't be joining them at breakfast."

Marci bowed and hurried to do as commanded. Amber took Sofia's arm and pulled her through the halls until they arrived to the blonde princess' room.

"What's on your mind, Sofia? Yesterday's debacle?"

"No." Sofia sat on the edge of Amber's bed. "Maybe. I don't know if I can put to words what it is that's on my mind."

Amber sat by her sister and gently grasped her hand.

"Whatever you have to say, your words are safe with me," Amber reassured. "They always have been."

Sofia looked towards the rays of sunlight coming through the windows.

"It's having Cedric out of the amulet."

Amber looked confused. "What about it? Aren't you happy to finally have him out?"

"I am. But ever since I brought him out, being around him has been different. I… I… I don't know what it is."

Amber nodded. "Things are different now than eight years ago. The last time you truly got to spend time with him, you were still a child. You're not a child anymore. You're a woman grown. You've experienced a lot and have changed quite a bit."

"I know. I've just felt things around him that I've never experienced."

Amber's expression grew knowing. "Do you think you're in love with him?"

Sofia sputtered, her cheeks turning beet red.

"There's no way I could be in love with him! Amber, are you crazy?"

A knock interrupted the conversation and Marci came in with breakfast for the two princesses. After she left, Amber smiled gently.

"Do you enjoy spending time with him?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. Since he's returned, you've spent nearly all of your time with him. Yesterday, he saved you when that rat made a move against you and you opted to stay by his side the rest of the day. Probably because you knew you would be safe with him around. Try to describe how you feel around him. Does he make you feel special? Like you really do matter?"

Sofia nodded. "Cedric respects me in a way I didn't think possible. He listens to me, encourages me, and assures me that that morning eight years ago was not my fault."

"Has he kissed you?"

Sofia blushed furiously. Amber's eyes widened with amusement.

"He has? My, oh my. This is better than an opera! He's actually kissed you?"

"Only a couple of respectful kisses on the hand and forehead," Sofia said, embarrassed.

"And you probably want more than that."

"Amber!"

"Yeah, you're in love with him. Go to him. You don't necessarily have to say anything about your feelings to him. But pay close attention to how you feel and how you act."

Sofia nodded again before reaching for a piece of fruit off the breakfast tray. The two sisters ate their breakfast in silence.

A couple hours later, Sofia walked through the flower gardens, pausing when she came to a bush of dark pink roses. Something Cedric said to her two weeks prior came to mind.

_"Anything for you, Sofia."_

Thinking about it, Sofia's cheeks heated. After a moment, she decided to go up to the tower. The door to the workshop was open allowing Sofia to see her friend working on a potion. Seeing that, Sofia paused, not wanting to set off another incident.

"I know you're there, Sofia. Come in."

Sofia looked surprised at realizing Cedric knew she was there without turning around. Nonetheless, she stepped inside the workshop. Cedric turned for a moment and motioned to Sofia to come over. Sofia went to his side and looked at the potion that was being brewed. Cedric placed a handful of dried, crushed rose petals into his visitor's hand.

"Sprinkle that over the potion while I stir."

Sofia did as asked while Cedric quickly turned the ladle in the cauldron. As they did that, the potion turned dark pink with a few flecks of white and light pink. When the last of the rose petals from Sofia's hand was stirred in, Cedric pulled the ladle out. He lifted the cauldron off the heat and set it down on a pad to cool.

"That potion won't be ready to use until it cools down."

"What is it?" Sofia motioned to the potion.

"You'll see soon. It will take at least two hours to cool and if it gets disturbed before then, whoever messed with it will be very miserable for a few days."

"Then perhaps you'd like to accompany me on a walk through the gardens and maybe have a picnic lunch in my garden?"

Cedric smiled. "That would be wonderful."

Cedric offered his arm to Sofia and they left the workshop, leaving a warning on the door to stay out because a potion was in progress.

Out in her garden, Sofia glanced up at Cedric's face. They were sitting on a blanket together with an array of food set out by them.

"How have you been today, Sofia?"

Sofia grabbed a grape from the lunch set to their side. She shrugged before setting the grape back down.

"I'm not certain," Sofia said. "I've just been confused about a lot of things lately and I spoke with Amber about it this morning and now, I'm more confused than I was before."

Cedric nodded. "That was helpful of your sister to make you more confused."

"Maybe saying she made me more confused is not quite right. More of… she gave me something new to think about."

"Care to expand?"

Sofia paused. How did someone tell their friend that their sister thought she was in love with him?

Cedric carefully gauged Sofia's expression.

"If you'd rather not say, you don't have to."

Sofia gave a small, appreciative smile. She plucked a piece of cheese from a platter and popped it in her mouth.

After a few moments in silence, Sofia adjusted how she was sitting, bringing herself closer to Cedric. A slight, knowing smile appeared momentarily on Cedric's face.

"Sofia, I know it wasn't really under the best circumstances, but I really enjoyed our time together outside of the castle yesterday," Cedric said softly.

"So did I," Sofia agreed. "Sure the whole purpose of us going out was you trying to help me feel better, but going to those different vendors and just spending time together, it was fun."

Cedric gently placed his hand on Sofia's shoulder. Sofia felt her cheeks heat a little bit.

"Sofia, I uh… I… oh Merlin's mushrooms." Cedric became slightly sheepish and unable to say what was on his mind.

Sofia was about to ask when Cedric unexpectedly slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. Sofia was stunned, but after a moment, she kissed Cedric back. When they pulled away, the look in Cedric's eyes said what he couldn't put into words mere seconds ago. He loved her. And Sofia now knew that she loved him too.

"Sofia, I would like to court you, if you would have me?"

Sofia nodded. "I would love nothing more."

Cedric smiled warmly and gently placed another kiss on Sofia's lips.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," Cedric said in between kisses.

Sofia blushed. "How long?"

"Since you were sixteen."

Cedric pulled Sofia onto his lap. Sofia blushed even more so at the closeness.

"I've watched you grow from a carefree child into a beautiful, mature young lady. And it doesn't matter to me if you are bald, wearing a wig, or have an abundance of natural hair; it doesn't matter to me if you're wearing plain dresses or sorceress robes or royal gowns; you are beautiful to me."

Sofia's eyes misted at Cedric's words. A single tear fell and Cedric brushed it away before kissing the spot the tear had wetted.

"I love you, Mr. Ceeeedric."

Cedric's eyes flashed with a mischievous glint. Sofia realized that she was in for it. She made a move to get away from her new suitor but Cedric was quicker. Cedric caught Sofia in his grasp and held her tightly.

"Now what am I going to do with a mischievous princess who insists on saying my name wrong? Perhaps tickle her until she can only laugh helplessly? Or drop her in the middle of a lake? But considering that said princess can change into a mermaid, that would do no good. I guess tickling will have to do."

Sofia squealed in laughter as Cedric began to tickle her.

"Say my name," Cedric said through his own laughter. "Say it."

Sofia continued laughing and squirming in Cedric's grip. Amidst the wiggling, Sofia slid off of Cedric's lap onto the picnic blanket. Cedric gently pressed Sofia down to the ground, continuing to tickle her.

"Say it," Cedric repeated. "Say my name."

"Cedric!"

Sofia's exclamation brought Cedric to the reality that he was pushing the boundaries of propriety. Immediately he pulled back, looking slightly ashamed of himself. Sitting up, Sofia realized quickly what was probably going through his mind. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Cedric, it's okay."

Cedric placed his hand on Sofia's hand.

"It wasn't. I should know better."

"Cedric, I know you wouldn't purposely harm me in any way. And you've only been out of the amulet for a few weeks. You've still got to get used to socializing again."

Cedric smiled softly before taking Sofia's hand and pressed a kiss to it.

"What would I do without you by my side, keeping me on my best behavior?"

Sofia scooted closely to Cedric and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, you would have been left to rot in the dungeon after the order of the wand incident."

Cedric chuckled slightly. "You had to remind me?"

"I needed to remind you?"

Both chuckled.

"You're right," Cedric said after a moment. "I would have been toast a long time ago without you by my side."

Cedric wrapped an arm around Sofia and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Both quietly watched the garden together for a little bit. After a long silence though, Sofia perked up.

"Is the potion going to be ready now?"

"I do believe it is."

They went up to the tower and a quick glance at it from Cedric, confirmed it was ready. Carefully, they transferred the potion out of the cauldron and into a vial. Once it was in the vial, Cedric wrapped one arm around Sofia, while instructing her to hold out her hand. Once she had, Cedric poured a couple drops of the potion onto Sofia's hand. He set the vial down and placed his hand under hers, lifting it up and then blew on the potion.

Vibrant roses of many colors sprang forth and surrounded the new couple. Sofia's eyes widened in awe.

"Wow," she said as she reached out to touch the roses. "This is ah-mazing!"

Cedric smiled at Sofia's reaction. He grabbed the vial, capped it, and placed it in Sofia's hand.

"For you."

Sofia smiled and tightly hugged Cedric.

"Thank you, Cedric. I love it."

**(A/N: Alright, poll time! How many of you figured out or at least suspected that this was a Cedfia story? And also, when did you figure it out or suspect it? I think the first hint was back in chapter eleven when in response to a review, I said I totally ship Cedfia.)**


	26. Chapter 26

**(A/N: I have to admit, I'm impressed by how quickly some of you figured out this was a Cedfia story. Guess I wasn't as subtle about it as I thought. Not that my comment in chapter 11 was anywhere near subtle. And also, I did not think that Cedric going into the amulet or time passing year by year would be giveaway hints. You guys are clever.**

**I own nothing!)**

The next morning, Sofia was sleeping soundly in her own bed. Suddenly, someone shook her shoulder, waking her. Sofia glared at Amber.

"Was that necessary?"

"I brought some breakfast," Amber said sweetly.

"I guess you're forgiven for interrupting a lovely dream."

Sofia sat up and patted a spot on her bed by her. Amber sat by her sister.

"So spill, how did things go with Cedric?"

"You don't miss a beat do you?"

"Nope. Now give me all the juicy details. Are you going to surprise the whole family and be the first of us down the aisle?"

"Amber!" Sofia blushed.

"You know I love you. Now spill."

Sofia giggled and told her sister about the picnic and potion.

"Oh Sofia, that is so sweet. You are so lucky. But what about Dad? Is he going to approve of you courting Cedric?"

"What's Dad going to do? I told him I'm going to manage any suitors who come my way and that if he sent me another one, I would turn them into rodents."

"When did you do that?"

"Right after the incident two days ago."

Amber nodded. "He didn't mention that when the rest of the family found out. He said that the ratty suitor had gone after you and that Cedric saved you."

"Apparently Cedric yelled at him. I didn't see it. I left right before that happened."

Amber laughed. "My, oh my. But even if you are managing your own suitors, Dad still needs to be involved. He needs to approve of your choice."

Sofia shook her head. "Don't even start that thought. Dad probably won't accept us together. So how do I convince him that Cedric makes me happy and that he's the one I want to spend my time with?"

"I don't know. Just know, I'm on your side."

"I know. You always have been. Now what about you? How's the suitor business been going for you?"

As the two sisters ate breakfast together, Amber told her suitor stories. Sofia smiled as she listened.

Some hours later, Sofia had gone off to Cedric's tower and Amber walked the castle corridors. As the blonde princess walked the hallways, she spotted the open door to the throne room. An unfamiliar voice was heard from it and Amber found a spot to watch and listen unnoticed.

There was some visitor in the throne room, talking to Roland. Amber had to admit, the visitor, a young man, was quite handsome. But the conversation was one the elder princess knew needed to be interrupted. The visitor was someone who wanted to meet Sofia.

"You don't want to visit my sister," Amber said, strutting into the throne room. "Dad, need I remind you that Sofia is now managing her own suitors and that if you send one her way, they'll be turned into rodents?"

The visitor paled. "Has Princess Sofia had some unfortunate incidents with suitors?"

"Yes," Amber said. "Her threat against suitors Dad sends her might have just been heated words said in a moment of anger. But for your sake, I would suggest you run. She is very adept at using a wand and she has actually changed a suitor into an animal. He changed back into a human once he returned to his home but still. I think you get my point."

The visitor nodded, face still very pale. "Thank you for your advice, Your Highness. I'm going to take my leave now."

The visitor walked somewhat calmly out of the throne room but Amber could hear those steps quicken as soon as he was out of sight.

"Amber, was that necessary?" Roland asked. "Gossip is going to fly high about your sister."

"Gossip is always flying high about all of us. This won't be the first time gossip has been unpleasant. And yes, Sofia has taken the worst of it over the last several years. But she's gotten quite skilled at ignoring it. Now, I have a question for you. Are you trying to unintentionally banish her again?"

"No. Why would you even ask that?"

"She might have forgiven you for what happened four years ago but since she returned, your relationship has been tense. And now, she's mad at you again for something you had a hand in. You say you didn't mean to send her a rotten suitor but you did. Not only that, but you also failed to uphold your end of the suitor bargain and let her know ahead of time that he was coming. You're slowly losing her. If you're not careful, Dad, you will lose Sofia again. Permanently. There will be no getting her back. You will be nothing more than a cold, uncaring king to her. She won't ever see you as her father again. And she has the ability to make sure you can't find her, you know she does."

Roland sighed. "I know I haven't done very well with her over the last several years. I don't need you to remind me."

"I hope you're right about that. I also hope you realize that she's scared of you. She might not fully realize it but she is. There's no other way to explain why she doesn't want to come talk to you about something extremely important. You've been more like a king than a father towards her and now that's what she expects from you. A king. Honestly I don't know who I feel more sorry for, you or Sofia."

Amber turned and walked out of the throne room, leaving Roland to wonder what was happening now.

Up in Cedric's tower, Sofia and Cedric were testing out Sofia's new wand together. Although no wand could really replace the one broken two days prior, Sofia still liked the new one.

"I almost hate to say it, but this wand is more comfortable and easier to use than the one Amber gave me." Sofia flicked her wand at a rock which turned into a ruby.

"Well, as long as you like it."

Sofia smiled and set the wand down. She turned and faced Cedric, smiling coyly. She reached over and _straightened_ Cedric's bow.

"Really, Sofia?"

Cedric took Sofia's hands in his and held them just below his crooked bow. Sofia smiled sweetly.

"Hey, I have eight years of pestering you to catch up on. You were constantly teasing me from the amulet, it's time to return the favor."

Cedric planted a kiss on Sofia's forehead.

"I look forward to watching you try to catch up on eight years of pestering me."

Sofia smiled cheekily before Cedric kissed her again, on the lips. A polite cough startled the two lovebirds. They turned to see Amber at the door.

"That doesn't look like potion brewing or spell casting," Amber said, smiling. "If you're going to be making out, close the door and hope Dad doesn't come in unexpectedly. He may not be ready to accept you two together. Another would be suitor came and Dad did nothing to get rid of him. Fortunately that suitor was smart enough to leave when I told him to."

Sofia scowled.

"What's with the face, sister?"

"If Dad isn't turning away young men who want to come see me, what's going to happen when Cedric and I reveal our courtship? If he doesn't accept us together, what happens then?"

"I don't have all the answers, Sofia. After the visitor left, I told Dad some things he might not have appreciated but definitely needs to know."

Sofia sighed. "Cedric and I will have to inform him sooner or later that we're courting. The scary part is that Dad is more than just our dad. He's also Cedric's boss and the king, so if he doesn't approve, he can do more than simply say so. For now, this stays between the three of us."

Amber nodded. "So, what spell or potion were you working on before I interrupted you?"


	27. Chapter 27

**(A/N: Who said that Roland would instantly stop sending suitors if he were to find out Sofia and Cedric were courting? At this point in time, the only incentive he has to not send them is Sofia's threat to turn them into rodents.**

**I own nothing!)**

A few days later, Sofia once again was in Cedric's tower. A potion was simmering and while the two were waiting for it to simmer a certain length of time, they discussed an upcoming visit to Mystic Meadows. A polite knock at the door interrupted their conversation. The two turned to see Baileywick standing there.

"You're both wanted in the throne room, immediately."

"Dad is going to have to wait," Sofia said. "We have a potion brewing and it has to come off the heat after a very specific amount of time otherwise it's going to create a big mess. We'll come down as soon as we can but it's not going to be immediately."

"Very well."

After Baileywick left, Sofia and Cedric looked at each other, worried looks crossing their faces.

"I don't even want to know what Dad wants this time."

"Well, if he tells you there's a new suitor for you, you have my permission to turn your dad and the suitor into toads. Just at least turn your dad back into a human."

Sofia smiled weakly at Cedric's attempt to make her laugh. Once the potion was off the heat and cooling down, Sofia took Cedric's arm.

"Let's go see what he wants."

Cedric and Sofia headed down to the throne room, arms entwined. They both had wands ready to be flicked out, though they were very subtle about it. When they got there, Roland was reading over a letter.

"What now, Dad?" Sofia asked shortly. "If it's another suitor, I'm turning him into a toad."

"It's not that," Roland said. "I just wanted to let you both know what actions were taken in regards to this week's incident."

"I don't care about that. Alexander is not going to be doing any damage from his cage."

"I thought you might be interested in what the response is."

"The only thing about that mess that I'm interested in is that the rat sitting in our dungeon stays where he belongs and that you stop sending me suitors. I will turn them into rodents."

"Sofia-"

"May Cedric and I be excused? We were in the middle of potion brewing when you interrupted."

Roland sighed, realizing he was going to get nowhere with his younger daughter. He nodded.

"Yes, you may go."

Sofia stormed out of the throne room. Cedric followed quickly.

Back up in the tower, Sofia glared at the spot where the mirror had been.

"Judging by the way you're looking at that spot, it's a good thing I haven't brought the mirror back. Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about. I meant it when I said I don't care about what happens. And I'm done discussing it."

Cedric nodded as he closed the workshop door. He walked over to Sofia and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you sure?"

Sofia turned so she could face Cedric. She smiled and in that moment, Cedric knew she was okay. He returned the smile and planted a small kiss on Sofia's nose. A subtle blush graced Sofia's cheeks at the affectionate gesture. Cedric smirked and pulled his princess into a tight embrace and twirled her around. Sofia squealed in surprise.

"Don't we have a potion to check on? Sofia asked breathlessly.

"Eh, kissing you is much more fun," Cedric said, peppering Sofia's jawline with kisses.

"Cedric, that potion was one requested by my dad to aid in the recent crop failure twenty miles north of here. We need to check on it and get it sent off. Those villagers need to be able to grow their food."

Cedric growled softly. "Fine."

Reluctantly, Cedric let go of Sofia and they went back to potion work.

oOo

That night, Roland paced the castle grounds, close to the tower. After the rough conversation in the throne room that morning, Sofia had retreated to the tower with Cedric. Neither one of them reemerged for the rest of the day, except to bring him a potion he'd requested. And now, Roland was beginning to worry about the fact that Sofia was still apparently in the tower.

After hearing a chime of a distant clock tower announcing it was eleven o'clock, Roland worried even more. If Sofia was still in the tower, she needed a small push to leave. Mind made up, the worried monarch and father strode up into the tower, up the stairs, and through the doors to the workshop. What he saw lessened his concern.

Cedric had fallen asleep at his desk, an open spell book used as his pillow. And Sofia was nowhere to be seen in the workshop, causing Roland to believe that she had simply transported out of the tower. Quietly, the pacified king stepped out of the workshop and closed the door. There was nothing left for him to do, except retreat to bed himself. So he did.

Meanwhile, back in the workshop, Sofia and Cedric let out sighs of relief as an invisibility spell wore off. Sofia looked at what appeared to be the royal sorcerer asleep at his desk but really was just another illusion. The sorceress princess flicked her wand at the illusion and it disappeared.

"That was close," Sofia said.

"And you were looking at me like I was crazy the whole time. Didn't think it would work, did you?"

"Had my dad tried to touch the illusion, we both would be in a huge heap of trouble. It does serve as a reminder that it is late and it's been a long day."

Cedric nodded. Sofia was about to turn to go out the door when she was pulled into Cedric's grip. Before she could say or do anything, he kissed her, more passionately than he ever had. Sofia felt her knees turn to jelly and she gripped Cedric for support, which seemed to encourage him further.

After a moment, Cedric pulled back. Sofia looked into his eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Goodnight my love."

Sofia's smile turned coy and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Cedric chuckled.

"Goodnight my love."


	28. Chapter 28

**(A/N: Yeah, our two lovebirds are getting sneaky. And Roland suspecting something? He couldn't even tell that Fifi was really Sofia. He is aware Sofia is spending a lot of time with Cedric but he (as well as _most_ everyone else) thinks it's just for sorcery lessons and catching up on eight years of lost time. Now if only telling a clueless monarch were the only problem left for Cedfia...**

**And to the guest reviewer who was freaking out and worrying that I was going to forget all about this story, don't worry. I like this story too much to do that. In fact, this has been my favorite fanfic that I've written. I am not going to forget. I just went camping with my family and was very busy and away from wifi for a bit. I was going to warn you lovelies that this update might take some time.**

**And also, I have been incessantantly debating one small detail of the story and whether or not it would be included. Actually, this detail has been bugging me since I first started the story. That detail is the accident that started this whole debacle. For the life of me, I haven't been able to come up with a great idea as to what really happened in the workshop that day. I've only come up with one idea and I'm still not 100% certain about it. But I've decided to go with it. So apologies ahead of time if you decide you don't like it. **

**I own nothing!)**

_"The spell… I was at a critical point in casting it and when you came in to let me know that I had visitors, I stopped focusing on the spell long enough to let it go very wrong."_

A couple weeks later, Cedric looked over an old, wrinkled piece of paper. It was after midnight but the tired sorcerer was unable to sleep after having an unpleasant dream.

Not that it had simply been a dream. It was a reminder. One that he couldn't seem to shake. The spell written on the paper he was holding was proof of that.

"Cursed spell. You just had to come with many high prices, didn't you?"

Frustrated, Cedric crumpled the paper, no longer wanting to look at the spell written on it. He stuffed it into his pocket and let out a sigh. He looked at something else, a letter that was being sent to sorcerers and sorceresses all over the land. It was a warning to not use the custom made spells of a certain witch.

_Too late for that._

A knock sounded at the workshop door and Cedric quickly put the letter in his pocket.

"Come in."

Cedric was surprised to see Amber open the door and come in. The elder princess rarely visited the workshop, much less in the middle of the night.

"Princess Amber, what an unexpected surprise. Is anything wrong?"

"Something's been keeping me up the last few nights. I decided enough is enough. I want to be able to sleep tonight. Do you have something that could help me sleep?"

Cedric nodded and opened a spell book. "I don't have something immediately ready but such an aid is easily made. There's a whole book dedicated to spells and potions for sleeping. Tell me Princess, what's keeping you up at night?"

"Stress, mostly. I just had a suitor fail a few days ago and something that so called suitor said has been on my mind ever since then."

"What is it with you and your sister having a bunch of suitor fails?"

Amber shrugged. "I have no idea. Obviously it hasn't been all fails. Otherwise, Sofia wouldn't be blushing like a school girl every time I ask her how things are going between you two."

Cedric chuckled as he flipped through the pages of the spell book. "I can conjure something up to help you sleep but if stress is what's keeping you up, you might want to find a way to release it. Magical sleep aids can only go so far."

"Thank you Cedric. I really shouldn't let what that snake said get to me but there was some truth to it. A lot of the peacocks lining up to meet and court me are only interested in the fact that I'm heir to the throne of a very powerful kingdom. I wish sometimes I could wave a wand and immediately know who's the right guy for me. Do you know what I mean?"

Cedric's grip on the spell book fumbled and he dropped it. Rolling his eyes at himself, he picked the book back up.

"Magic is vast," Cedric said, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think there is anyone who knows the full extent of it. There could possibly be such a spell. But even if there is a spell that will tell you that, it would be better if you found out on your own."

Amber gave Cedric a quizzical look but didn't question it further.

"I wish I had it as easy as you and Sofia do. Obviously you two do have to worry about how Dad will respond. Speaking of which, when are you two going to tell him? The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be and the less likely he'll respond well."

"If you must know, we were going to talk with him yesterday but your sister got called out on protector duties. She should return in a couple days. Now here's a recipe for a potion that will help you relax and sleep restfully. For the first two hours of your sleep, it will be nearly impossible to wake you but beyond those two hours, you should sleep normally."

"That sounds just fine. How long will it take to brew?"

"Not very long at all."

Cedric quickly grabbed a few ingredients and measured them out into a cauldron. He muttered some words under his breath and the concoction sizzled. Cedric poured the potion into a vial and capped it before handing it over to Amber.

"Pour four drops of that into a drink, milk or water is best, and drink it all gone. You should get a good rest after that. Now off you go. You have obnoxious suitors to sort through and I have spells and potions that I don't care to botch. Not that I've botched one since the day the Dunwittie crown museum was opened."

Amber dropped the potion she was holding.

"What did you just say?" Amber demanded. "Sofia told me about that day. It was long before the accident that changed everything. If you haven't botched a single spell or potion since the Dunwittie crown museum fiasco then you've been lying about the accident eight years ago."

"Merlin's mushrooms!" Cedric hissed under his breath.

"Start talking Cedric! Or I tell Sofia that her sweetheart isn't as good and faithful as he seems. Oh, and I also tell Dad that you didn't mess up whatever spell caused this in the first place. I'm sure he'd be very thrilled to hear about this. So who would you like to have come yell at you first? Sofia or Dad?"

Cedric paled. "You wouldn't."

"I would."

Amber turned towards the door. Cedric quickly moved and closed the workshop door before his angry visitor could leave.

"Fine! But you have to promise not to tell your sister!"

"You're not in a position to bargain, Cedric."

"If you value Sofia's continued safety, you won't tell her anything!"

Amber's eyes widened.

oOo

About an hour later, Amber was out of the workshop. Cedric looked at the floor where the remains of the forgotten sleep potion lay. Frustrated at himself for slipping up and being forced to reveal all to the elder princess, Cedric pointed his wand at the mess and made it vanish. With that mess cleaned up, Cedric grabbed the spell book about sleep aids and threw it straight out the window.

"Neptune's nettles! This cannot get any worse!"


	29. Chapter 29 (Careful What You Wish For)

**(A/N: Wise Owl, I'm not entirely certain I understand your review. Amber figuring _Cedfia_ out? Was that a typo? Amber already knows they're courting. What she figured out is that Cedric didn't mess up the spell and that he's told at least one lie about the accident.**

**I own nothing!)**

_"I lost a great deal of my memory of that morning… It took a long time for me to remember the little bit that I do."_

Sofia sat in her bedroom window seat reading before going to bed. Or was as close to reading as she could get. The words just couldn't seem to distract her mind from her worries.

The sorceress princess had returned earlier that evening from her protector duties. She and Cedric were going to talk to Roland after she returned. Unfortunately, the monarch had been out all day so that chat hadn't happened.

Not only that, but Sofia had noticed Amber and Cedric both acting a little strange. Neither would elaborate when asked.

Sighing, the sorceress princess leaned against a pillow in her window seat and closed her eyes.

"I wish I knew why they're acting so strange."

Unexpectedly, a throbbing ache in her temple emerged. One she had not felt since Cedric let her know he was in the amulet.

.

_Cedric was standing over a cauldron, looking at its contents. His eyes furrowed with confusion._

_"Who is that?"_

_Whatever Cedric was looking at shifted and he recoiled as if a venomous snake had been dropped in front of him. Several emotions crossed his face- recognition, fear, and shock just being a few of them._

_"Merlin's mushrooms! What happened to you?"_

_Cedric waved his family wand over the cauldron and the image he was looking at disappeared though a strange concoction in the cauldron continued to bubble and hiss._

_"That can't be true. There's no way! That spell was a fad."_

_Cedric turned and looked at the cauldron which had yet to stop bubbling and hissing. He looked into it again but the image did not return._

_Unexpectedly, a knock sounded on the door and it opened up. Cedric gasped when he realized who was there._

_"Mr. Cedric!"_

_"Merlin's mushrooms! Sofia!"_

_The bubbling concoction hissed once more and exploded._

.

Sofia sat straight up, heart pounding and mind racing.

"What was that?" Sofia asked breathlessly.

She glanced down at the amulet, which was faintly sparkling. Sofia's confusion and concern shot through the roof. The words of the visitor to the workshop and Cedric in the memory were all too familiar to her. Except for a few more words spoken by Cedric, they were the last words spoken when she was hurt and he went into the amulet.

"But why show me that? Cedric's not in there anymore and even then, he could only show me...what...what… what he…remembered."

Sofia's stomach dropped. She wasn't certain what to think or believe. Scared of what she might find out but wanting the truth, Sofia transported up to the tower. Outside the workshop door, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Inside, Cedric had his shirt off and was examining his left arm. From the wrist to elbow, it resembled a rotting piece of meat and had a matching smell. Sofia tried not to gag but the smell quickly got to her and she hurled. Startled, Cedric looked up.

"Merlin's mushrooms! Are you okay, Sofia?"

Cedric grabbed a bucket and handed it to Sofia who continued to retch.

"What is that smell? It's awful!"

Cedric guided Sofia to a chair to sit down.

"Give me a moment to take care of that."

Sofia nodded numbly as Cedric stepped out of the workshop and into his room. The smell disappeared but Sofia was still very nauseous. After a couple minutes, Cedric came back in the workshop, arm bandaged and a shirt on. Noting that his princess was still sick to her stomach, the sorcerer poured a cup of water and placed a few drops of a potion in it.

"Here, this will make you feel better."

Sofia took the drink and sipped on it. After a few minutes, she looked noticeably better.

"What was that smell? And your arm?"

"A reminder that has yet to go away. What brings you up here? It's getting a little late."

"I was reading or trying to read and I wondered to myself why both you and Amber have been acting strangely. The amulet showed me something, a memory. But it wasn't my memory. It was yours. It was you working on whatever spell started everything."

Cedric paled. "Just how much did you see?"

"You were standing over your cauldron, looking at something in there and you were perplexed. You said 'Merlin's mushrooms! What happened to you?' Then you were in denial of whatever you saw, calling a spell a fad. Does any of that mean anything to you? I know you said you lost some of your memory in the accident but the amulet has only ever shown me memories that were remembered by the person they belonged to. But by your words, you could only remember what little bit you showed me while you were in the amulet. You showed me the spell exploding and you trying to protect me from the explosion. What I saw just now was not part of that."

"I know," Cedric said, strains of guilt in his voice.

"Cedric, how much do you remember of that morning? Tell me honestly."

Cedric didn't reply. Sofia felt her heart breaking as the silence spoke loudly. A sob escaped. Cedric placed his hand on Sofia's shoulder but she pushed it away.

"I can't believe you would lie about that," Sofia said, her voice cracking. "When I first asked you what spell it was, you said you couldn't tell me. A few days later, you said to me and our families that you couldn't remember very much from that day. I don't understand why you would lie about that."

"Sofia-"

"I had a lot to lose from that accident! I had to suffer through eight long years in order to bring you back, including the belief that it was all my fault! You told me back in Avalor that none of it was my fault and I believed you! Yet here you are, lying about that morning and refusing to fill in the gaps! Was I a fool to believe you? To trust what you said?"

"Sofia, I'm sorry."

"Just leave me alone Cedric!"

Sofia went up in a puff of smoke. Cedric stared at the now empty seat before proceeding to kick it over.

"Cursed spell! How many more cruel tricks will you play before this is over?"

Back in her room, Sofia flicked her wand out and put the barrier spell back up around her room. With that in place, the distraught princess collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

**(A/N: Wise Owl, I have no words. How did you not realize Amber's known almost the whole time that Cedfia were courting? In chapter 25, Sofia went to her about her confusing feelings in regards to Cedric. Then in chapter 26, Amber wakes Sofia up wanting to know what happened and later walks into the workshop to see Cedfia kissing. Yes, Amber knows and she's the only one who does.**

**And I apologize for taking so long to update. My iPad is refusing to hook up to the wifi at my apartment which makes things a bit difficult to accomplish.**

**I own nothing!)**

A few mornings later, Sofia wrapped a blanket tightly around herself, wishing it could dispel the chill she felt. Unfortunately, blankets didn't work on emotional chills. As Sofia lay in her bed, she thought about her argument from a few nights ago. Now that some of the initial shock and hurt had worn off, the bald princess wondered if she had been too hard on her suitor.

A few hours later, a knock sounded on her door. Sofia picked her head up a bit and glanced at the door but didn't make a move to see who was there.

"Sofia? Are you feeling any better?"

Sofia sighed when she heard her sister's voice. But still, she didn't move.

"No. Not really."

"Sofia was letting the whole castle think she didn't feel well and that she had put up the barrier around her room so that she wouldn't have to worry about people smothering her while she 'recovered'. It wasn't a complete lie that she wasn't feeling well. It just wasn't a physical ailment like everyone believed. Food would be left outside her door for her but Sofia barely touched any of it.

"Do you need anything?"

"No. Just rest."

"Okay."

Sofia closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. She found she couldn't. Her mind was racing too fast.

Some hours later, another knock sounded on the door. A fairly familiar knock too.

"Go away Amber. I'm trying to sleep."

"You not feeling well doesn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that you and Cedric had an argument, does it?"

Sofia sat up straight. She walked straight to the door, opened it, and pulled Amber through. Amber smirked.

"I wondered if that would do the trick. You look like you've done nothing but lay in bed for three days straight."

"How did you know we argued?"

"I went to his workshop to ask him about a general cure all spell or potion that could help you and he commented that you probably weren't actually physically sick. I asked him why he said that and he mentioned you were very mad at him and that you had a disagreement. It explains why he's not been acting like himself for the past few days. At first I thought it was because you were sick and he was worried about you but now I realize it is so much more than that."

"Yeah, I've been very mad at him. And he knows it too."

"What was this argument about? Cedric wouldn't tell me much except that it was bad."

Sofia looked out her window. "This doesn't go back to Dad. Or anyone for that matter."

"You know your words are always safe with me."

"Cedric lied about the accident."

Amber struggled to look appropriately shocked and worried. She thought her words over carefully before speaking.

"What makes you say that?"

"The amulet showed me a memory of that morning, right before I walked into the workshop. I asked Cedric about it, since the amulet supposedly can only show me things that are actually remembered. Cedric's reaction wasn't that of someone who had just learned something new. It was one of fear and guilt. He wouldn't answer when I asked him how much he really remembered."

"Oh Sofia, that has to be hard. I can't imagine him doing something like that. Cedric's not the same person now as he was before the accident. I can't speak for him, but I'd like to think that he has a reason for not telling you everything. I've watched how he treats you, how he looks at you. He does love you. And I know you love him too."

"What reason could he have for not telling me that he does actually remember everything? I had as much to lose in the accident as he did. And if he remembers everything, he could tell me what spell it was. When I first brought him out of the amulet, I asked him what spell it was and he said he couldn't tell me. I thought it was because he couldn't remember but apparently he does. He should have no reason to not tell me."

"Then perhaps you need to go back to the tower and talk to him again. Let him have his say. I don't pretend to agree with him lying about it. But if there's something going on, you need to let him say whatever it is he has to say. He might give you the full truth, he might not. You won't know unless you give him the benefit of the doubt."

Sofia sighed. "I don't know Amber. I really don't know."

oOo

That night, Sofia walked up the steps to the workshop. After hiding in her room the rest of the day, the princess decided that she was tired of being angry, hurt, and alone. So she stepped out of her room at a time she knew most people would be in bed asleep.

_Most._

Sofia had noticed that Cedric usually fell asleep at his desk reading and that usually after a while, he would actually go to his bed. She was hoping he was still in the workshop.

Sofia stopped at the closed workshop door. She suddenly seemed to realize that Cedric might not be excited to see her. She hadn't given him much of a chance to say anything when they argued. She took a breath and pushed the door open.

Cedric was standing at his desk, looking something over. He looked like he hadn't been able to sleep much over the last few days. The door opening didn't seem to faze him much as he didn't look towards his visitor.

"Cedric? Can we talk please?"

Cedric didn't look up. Sofia wanted to turn around but she stepped into the workshop and closed the door behind her. As she closed the door, a familiar glow surrounded it before fading. Sofia recognized the same spell she had once used to seal her family in the throne room three years ago. She knew she wasn't leaving the workshop nor anyone entering it until Cedric lifted the spell.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you. That I wouldn't let you say anything. I was just overwhelmed with shock that you wouldn't tell me from the start what happened that morning. It's not much of an excuse but it's true."

Cedric glanced at Sofia for a brief moment then looked back at the paper on his desk.

"I think what hurts the most is not knowing that you remember everything but that you would lie about it. It hurts that you don't seem to trust me enough to tell me the truth."

Cedric's hand clenched into a fist and he hit the desk before turning and facing Sofia.

_Darn it Sofia! That wasn't a very smart thing to say!_

"Is that what you think, Sofia? That I don't trust you? I do trust you. But that has nothing to do with the reason I haven't told you everything. There's nothing I want more than to tell you the whole story."

"Then tell me the whole story. It's not that hard."

"You would think so."

"What's that supposed to mean? The spell wasn't dangerous was it?"

"All spells have the capability of being dangerous if they aren't completed properly. But that wasn't what happened. I did complete the spell that morning. There should have been no reason for it to explode at any time."

"But it still did."

Cedric let out a huff. He pulled a letter from his robe pocket.

"Not long ago, I received a letter warning against using a certain witch's custom made spells."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Just listen. Her spells brought literal magic to things that should not have that. Of course, the spells always did what they were supposed to do but they never stopped there. Any warnings on her spells would be misleading. And even if spells were completed properly, something bad happened, even if what it was supposed to do was quite safe. The spell I cast, what it promised to do wasn't actually dangerous. The letter not only warned against using her spells but also informed that she is currently imprisoned. So hopefully any of her malicious spell creating is over. But the damage has been done. More than one person has tried her spells and suffered for it."

"And the spell you cast? What of it?"

"From what I've learned, there's only been a few others who've cast it. None of them took more than three years to fully resolve. But every instance of it being cast has a set of similarities. Forgetting about casting the spell for a while, a scar that doesn't go away until the spell is broken, one person who is drastically affected by the spell, and a real danger in telling the affected person everything before the spell breaks. You are that drastically affected person for me. One spellcaster told his affected person too soon and it did not end very well for either one. The consequences for that were worse than what had happened when he originally cast the spell."

"So you've been lying to protect me?"

"You were put through enough when I cast that wretched spell. I do not want to endanger you again, even if it means having you get mad at me."

"And the scar you mentioned?"

Cedric held up his left arm. Sofia's eyes widened.

"Enough said about that," Sofia said. "Being bald doesn't seem that bad anymore."

Cedric chuckled. "It was very small when I first came out of the amulet. It grows anytime I say anything about what really happened that morning. But it will disappear once the spell is broken. Which will be a relief. Keeping this hidden is very difficult."

Sofia walked over to Cedric. She paused when there was only a very small gap between them.

"Will you tell me everything when the spell is complete?"

.

"_When it's gone, that means the spell is no longer active, right?"  
_"_Indeed."  
_"_Are you going to tell Sofia the full truth then?"_

"_That will remain between Sofia and me."_

.

Cedric took Sofia's hands. "Of course. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"And I, too, am sorry. I shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did."

The two embraced. They remained in each other's arms for a very long time, neither wanting to let go.


	31. Chapter 31

**(A/N: Happy dance, I got my iPad to connect to my wifi again. So I can continue working on this with ease.**

**I went back and reread the last chapter and realized I accidentally left one little detail out... Things that happen when a chapter gets edited over and over again... What the spell was supposed to do was not actually dangerous. It was just the surprise extras that the witch included that caused the damage. I've gone back and edited that in. I'm just letting you guys know here so you can be aware.**

**And I'm sitting here, laughing to myself about something that is coming up in… two… three chapters? I'm imagining what kind of "lovely" reviews I'm gonna be reading.**

**I own nothing!)**

The next morning, Sofia was back in the workshop. She pulled a spell book down from the shelf and set it on the desk.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Sofia asked.

"Catching up on work I let slide over the last few days."

Sofia let out an exasperated sigh. "And my Dad was okay with the decrease in productivity?"

"I think he was distracted by your sister's apparent lack of promising suitors."

Sofia let out a giggle. "Parents can be so annoying sometimes."

Cedric nodded. "Before the accident, mine were doing the exact same thing. Pestering me about courting and getting married and eventually giving them some more grandchildren. If there was one good thing about being in the amulet, it was that I didn't have to listen to my parents' nagging."

"Have they started asking you about it again?"

"Surprisingly no. They haven't said anything about the matter. But given how they were always keeping an eye on you during the last eight years, I wouldn't be surprised if they were still watching."

"Great. No privacy from your parents at all."

"Don't worry, they usually only watch when they feel they need to. As annoying as mine can be, they're definitely not as bad as yours can be."

"Did you know Amber actually told Dad off in regards to suitors not long after we went to Devon? She told him she was going to take her time sorting through suitors. She's smart to do so. The one she picks will eventually be her king."

"Sounds like your sister took a page out of your book, telling him off."

"Yeah, he wasn't thrilled about being told off like that, especially so close to me leaving castle life behind. But it worked. He backed off, until recently apparently. Speaking of Dad, we still need to go talk to him."

"I'd recommend waiting a couple days on that."

Sofia and Cedric looked up in surprise as Amber entered the workshop. She held a letter in her hand.

"Good to see you two talking again."

"Amber, what do you mean about waiting? Weren't you the one who first reminded me that Dad needed to be involved in my suitor business even if I'm managing it?"

"Yes but hear me out. Political affairs have been giving Dad some major headaches and in the state of frustration he's in, he might not be open to listening to you guys."

"What's going on?" Sofia asked.

"Rudistan, rather King Magnus, has been a nuisance out of himself. It's like that jerk of a king didn't read and understand the warning Dad sent him."

"What warning?" Sofia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh that's right. You didn't want to know what Dad did in regards to the incident with Alexander. Well, he sent a warning to King Magnus saying that if anything bad was done to you in his name again, it would be considered an act of war. And according to Dad's contact in Rudistan, King Magnus did receive the warning."

"So what's he doing now?"

"He's acting like he's never done anything wrong and asking to reestablish connections between our two kingdoms. Apparently after he cut ties with us four years ago, many other kingdoms cut ties with Rudistan. And Rudistan is feeling it heavily. Without the trade and connections it had before King Magnus cut off from us, Rudistan is crumbling from the inside. Many have left Rudistan to find new homes somewhere stable. King Magnus sees what's happening and wants to have ties with us again in hopes that he'll be able to strengthen his kingdom again."

"If your father reestablishes ties with that jerk after everything he did-" Cedric started.

"Don't worry, he's not," Amber interrupted. "He sent Magnus another warning. The general idea of the warning was that Rudistan has no right to ask anything of us after what happened four years ago and what happened a few weeks ago in his name, even if Magnus had absolutely nothing to do with it. Dad has warned that there will be serious repercussions if Magnus does not back off. Rudistan has very little left. If Magnus has any sense in that prideful head of his, he'll back off."

"Magnus had any sense to begin with?" Sofia asked.

"He doesn't," Amber said. "Anyhow, I do have a plan in mind to get him to back off completely. If Rudistan has backed off, Dad will find some relief and not be so uptight. And if he's not so frustrated, you two will have an easier time talking to him. I just need some magical help."

Sofia and Cedric looked at Amber, intrigued.

"What did you have in mind?" Sofia asked.

"And how may we be of assistance?" Cedric asked.

Amber held up the letter she was holding.


	32. Chapter 32

**(A/N: Boy oh boy are you guys excited to see me again. That's okay. I'm excited to be back. **

**Wise Owl- you sure have a fun idea in regards to Magnus. He doesn't have evil intentions at present moment. He's just trying to rebuild his kingdom connections so Rudistan doesn't fall. He lost the majority of his connections when he cut off Enchancia and his kingdom is suffering for it. He's got hardly any trade going in or out, many of his people have migrated out of the kingdom… As '****_sensible_****' as that pompous windbag is, he's not interested in doing anything but reestablishing stability in his kingdom. And he needs connections with Enchancia to get that started. But even though Roland has said no, Magnus is still very persistent. Thank goodness Amber has a plan.**

**Lucyole- That Amber cares so much is very critical. Can you imagine how differently things would have been throughout the story if Amber was the same self absorbed princess we met in Once Upon a Princess?**

**Allyrwhitney- what Amber has in mind is only going to mentioned in passing. Let's just say, I'm anxious to get to the part I hinted at last chapter that's gonna cause everyone to blow up. A big storm is brewing.**

**I own nothing!)**

A couple weeks later, Sofia hummed a happy little tune as she walked down to the dining room for breakfast. She entered into the dining room and was surprised to see that Amber and James hadn't arrived yet.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad. Where's Amber and James?"

Miranda shrugged. "I don't know. They're usually on time to meals."

"Unlike me, who is always the last one in and very late, if I even make it."

"There's nothing wrong with being on time or not being the last one in," Miranda said.

Sofia nodded. "So Dad, Amber mentioned a few days ago that Rudistan has been a huge nuisance. How is that going? Any better?"

Roland nodded. "Actually, yesterday I received a message from Magnus saying that he's no longer interested in connections. And my spy out there said that he's released a statement saying that if there's ever a move made against our family in his name, the offender will be lucky if they keep their lives. My spy also mentioned something about a week of various storms inside the castle. Storms that ranged from extreme heat waves to extreme ice storms and were very random. Not to mention a threat from an anonymous village witch that those extreme storms would occur across the whole kingdom if Magnus did not back off."

"An anonymous village witch?" Sofia asked, feigning total surprise at the news. "Magnus must have done something to make her really hate him if she did something like that."

"Perhaps," Roland said. "That or the witch just didn't like him. Either way, it's over. He's backed off."

"I'm glad it's done and over with," Sofia said. "Perhaps we can finally move on from that whole debacle and find some peace."

"Indeed."

Sofia smiled to herself.

_Maybe Cedric and I do have a chance._

After a moment, Amber and James arrived to the throne room. Breakfast commenced.

After breakfast, Sofia hurried up to the workshop. She opened the door and what she saw made her immediately wish she had knocked first, not that Cedric cared if she did. But in that moment, Sofia wished she had.

Cedric was a far cry from being ready for the day. He had one untied shoe on, his robe was still hanging up, his vest and bow tie were nowhere to be seen, and his shirt was unbuttoned.

Sofia felt her cheeks heat. Cedric looked up and smirked.

"You're blushing. Wasn't quite ready for something like this to happen were you?"

Sofia opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. Still smirking, Cedric strutted over to her.

"For wanting to catch up on eight years of pestering me, you are not doing a very good job."

"You-" Sofia stomped her foot and pointed towards the direction of Cedric's room. "Go get dressed!"

Cedric cheekily kissed Sofia's nose.

"As you wish, Your Highness," he said, giving a mock bow.

Cedric stepped out of the workshop and Sofia took a few deep breaths to try calming herself. She decided her suitor was correct, she hadn't been ready for that to happen.

After a few minutes, Cedric returned to the workshop, completely dressed.

"You look excited Sofia. What's going on?"

"Rudistan finally backed off. I think we'll be able to talk with Dad, once he has a bit of time to relax."

"Well, this calls for a little celebration. And I know just the thing to do, too."

Cedric took Sofia in his arms and he transported them out of the castle. As soon as they landed, Sofia recognized the place where they were. Hexley Hall. She saw a lot of other sorcerers and sorceresses waiting to go inside.

"What are we doing here?" Sofia asked.

"A sorcery festival," Cedric answered. "It goes on for a week and offers quite the array of festivities. There's vendors, shows, displays, games, dances, and so much more. It's held once every other year. If you think a magic marketplace is fun, then this is out of the world."

"Sounds very exciting."

Cedric was about to say something but the bells chimed and the doors opened, allowing everyone to enter. Excited, Sofia grabbed Cedric's hand and the two hurried in. Inside, Sofia was in awe at the displays and decorations. Cedric tightened his grip on Sofia's hand and pulled her to some of the activities.

oOo

That night, Sofia laughed as she walked alongside Cedric. They had just arrived back to the castle and Cedric had decided he would walk his princess back to her room. So they were walking towards her room, recounting their favorite parts of the day.

They made it to Sofia's door. Cedric took Sofia's hand and kissed it.

"Thank you for this day, Cedric. It was a lot of fun."

"Of course, Sofia. See you in the workshop for lessons tomorrow morning?"

"Absolutely."

Cedric placed a short but passionate kiss on Sofia's lips. Sofia smiled and opened her door.

"Sleep well, my love."

"Goodnight love."

Cedric walked away and Sofia closed her door. Neither of them were aware of someone watching them from the shadows. Someone who was less than thrilled at what _he_ saw.

**_WHAT!_**


	33. Chapter 33

**(A/N: Your reviews! Ha ha!**

**I had a lot of fun writing the part where Sofia walks in on Cedric. When I first wrote the chapter, it was a little different. When I rewrote it to what it is now, the workshop scene was deleted. But I liked it too much to not include it. So I put it back in.**

**Nerdsinatree- What a grand idea, the thought of the person who saw Cedfia being a wannabe suitor or a spy for Magnus.**

**And I'm still maniacally laughing to myself. Why? Well…**

**I own nothing!)**

A couple days later, Roland sat in the throne room. Reports sat piled around him but he couldn't focus on them. Instead, his mind swirled with unpleasant memories.

_"You must have messed up very horrifically that morning if you were willing to go out to a very small, out of the way, village of little significance to prove to Sofia that you were still a good man."_

_"You haven't handled a lot of things very well regarding her since the accident… You weren't by her side telling her she could do it… Whatever you think sums up the amount of suffering she's been through doesn't even touch the surface. You can't stand to hear me talk about this because you know it's true."_

_"Are you trying to unintentionally banish her again? You're slowly losing her. If you're not careful, Dad, you will lose Sofia again. Permanently. There will be no getting her back. You will be nothing more than a cold, uncaring king to her. She won't ever see you as her father again… I hope you realize that she's scared of you. She might not fully realize it but she is. There's no other way to explain why she doesn't want to come talk to you about something extremely important. You've been more like a king than a father towards her and now that's what she expects from you. A king. Honestly I don't know who I feel more sorry for, you or Sofia."_

Roland glared at the report in his hand before proceeding to crumple it and throw it across the throne room. He let out a sigh and covered his face with his hands.

"Rollie? Are you okay? You haven't come to any meals and you've not spent any time with the family over the last couple days. What's going on?"

Roland looked at his concerned wife.

"Where do I even begin?"

"Perhaps why you haven't been sleeping very well over the last few weeks? Particularly the last couple nights?"

"Something Cedric said right after the incident with Alexander and then something Amber said a couple days later."

Miranda's expression turned to confusion. "What did they say?"

"Cedric said something about how I had no idea how much Sofia has really suffered since the accident but that he did. That he witnessed everything she had to go through."

"He was her frequent companion. And he could see everything from the amulet. Of course he would have a better understanding of everything she went through than anybody else."

"I guess so. I saw Sofia this morning in the garden. I wanted to talk with her about something but she was rushing a potion ingredient back to the workshop. Apparently, she and Cedric thought they had enough of that item when they started the potion but they didn't and the resulting mess without it would make eight years ago seem like a spilled glass of milk. I'm not mad that she couldn't spare some time to talk but it did seem to reinforce the things that Cedric and Amber said."

"What did Amber say?"

"She told me that I'm slowly losing Sofia again. She believes that if I mess up again, Sofia will leave again and never come back. She also mentioned Sofia having something she needs to tell me but that she's afraid to. I think I know what it is though."

"It must be something big."

"I think so. And it would explain why Sofia spends all her time with Cedric, besides just missing him."

"What other reason could she have for spending all her time with him?"

"I saw Cedric kiss her a couple nights ago. I think they're courting."

Miranda's eyes were so wide they nearly popped out of her head.

"They're courting? We all knew they're good friends but courting? He's more than ten years older than her."

"Sixteen years to be exact. I know. But suppose it's true and this is what Amber was referencing in our conversation a few weeks ago. If I make a wrong move, I break her worse than I did the morning after her sixteenth birthday. So how do I make a next move, knowing that if I mess up, it's all over?"

"It's quite simple, you let them court. And he's not really sixteen years older than her anymore. He didn't age at all while in the amulet."

Roland and Miranda looked up in surprise as Amber strutted into the throne room.

"Eavesdropping Amber?" Miranda asked. "That's not very polite."

"I hear an interesting conversation about Sofia, I listen and interrupt if needed. Suppose they are indeed courting. Can you blame them for not coming forward about it Dad? You haven't given Sofia much reason to trust you over the last few years. There was the sixteenth birthday ball fiasco, the whole suitor mess, trying to make her to wait when she finally was able to free Cedric, and goodness knows what else. If I were Sofia, I wouldn't want to tell you either. In fact, I'd be deathly afraid of telling you. You're not just a father in this situation. You're also Cedric's boss and the king. If Sofia and Cedric are indeed courting, they're smart enough to know that if you disapprove, you can do a lot more than simply say so."

Amber turned and started heading towards the exit. At the exit she paused.

"You know just as well as the rest of the family that he treats her so much better than nearly anyone has treated her since the accident. Sofia told me once, it's a level of respect she didn't even know was possible. And unlike the wannabe suitors who visited her, the ones you sent her Dad, he doesn't try to make her feel bad for being bald or scarred. If they were courting, he's the absolute best suitor for her. And I don't see why you're making a big deal of their age difference. Grandfather was significantly older than Grand Mum. Even if Cedric's aging wasn't stopped by the amulet, sixteen years is not that bad. So quit the crap and let Sofia be with him."

Amber strode out of the throne room. A few feet from the exit, she collided with the other blonde royal.

"Are they really courting?" James asked softly.

"Yeah. But you didn't hear me say that. I'm not supposed to be saying anything about it."

"Hey, if he's able to see her for her and willing to do anything to protect her, even turn violent visitors into rats, I say he's perfect for her. Now if only Mom and Dad were on board with it."

"Tell me about it. So what about you? Any girls strike your fancy?"

As the twins went on their way, Amber glanced back at the throne room entrance, wondering what was going to happen next.

_Please, I can't lose my sister again._


	34. Chapter 34

**(A/N: To the guest reviewer who mentioned Roland handling this very well because he hasn't gotten angry, who said he wasn't angry? He just didn't react right in the moment. Probably a good thing, too.**

**And I'm still laughing to myself. And I'm still imagining your reactions when you find out why.**

**I'm sure you all are anxious to see what's gonna happen next so I won't keep you.**

**I own nothing!)**

_"I am not as good as you think. I'm a scarred, angry young person who had to lose much in becoming who I am today."_

That evening, Roland found himself pacing the castle grounds. After the heated throne room conversation, whatever shred of ability the monarch had to concentrate on his work flew out the window. All he could do was think about his younger daughter and what was going on with her.

After a while, Roland headed towards the tower. As he walked up the steps to the workshop, he could hear laughter. He also heard Sofia and Cedric talking animatedly about something they both found amusing. Roland gave a small smile then headed the rest of the way up to the workshop.

Inside the workshop, Sofia and Cedric were cleaning up from a long day of conjuring. Roland cleared his throat. The lighthearted conversation paused and two sets of eyes landed on the king.

"What brings you up here, Dad?"

"I had wanted to talk to you earlier but you were rushing a potion ingredient back here."

"Oh that's right. I completely forgot. It's been very busy here today."

Sofia gave a small nod to Cedric and walked over to Roland. As Roland walked his daughter out of the workshop, he thought he glimpsed Cedric holding his wand with a death grip.

Outside the tower, Sofia looked up at her father curiously.

"What's going on Dad?"

"Can't a father simply check on his daughter for no reason?"

"Not this father. It's never been a no reason check since before the accident."

Roland opened his mouth to say something but closed his mouth again. He couldn't really deny what had been said.

"I really wish I could give valid reasons to deny that. I had tried to help but it seemed like anything I did would backfire. And looking back, I think I figured it out. I tried to help you seem more like you were a normal princess."

"Was I ever a normal princess?"

"No. But I tried to push some normalcy into your life, thinking it might help, especially when gossip started flying high about you. It was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. I should have been supporting you in everything you did."

"I probably wasn't the easiest to deal with after the accident, either. I had a wide range of issues and I wasn't entirely certain how to deal with them. How does one handle losing one of their best friends, repeatedly failing to find them again, feeling like it's your own fault, and physical scars all at once? And then I eventually had to contend with family who didn't understand. It was frustrating. I was frustrated."

"And I was probably what frustrated you most."

Sofia sighed. "Do you remember the day I returned from Devon? While I was still pretending to be Fifi I said that I was scarred and angry and had to lose a lot to become who I was then. A lot of that is still true. I did have to lose more and I still have scars. But the anger has disappeared. And despite everything that had to happen, I'm starting to really be happy again."

"And having Cedric back probably has helped more than anything anyone could have done."

Sofia nodded. "Right after I had freed him, when the realization sunk in that I finally succeeded after eight long years, I broke down. Cedric, he was amazing in comforting me and assuring me that I had nothing to feel bad about. He told me I needed to stop blaming myself for everything that went wrong. The next day, I had put myself down and he had a lot to say to me about that. He told me it was time I started believing that I was worthwhile. Amber had tried several times to get me to feel better about myself. I probably frustrated her with how stubborn I was about believing it. I finally listened to Cedric when he said it."

"I've seen and been told by Amber that Cedric has been very good to you since you've freed him."

"He is very respectful to me. I've never seen a level of respect like it."

"That's good. I'm glad he's been respectful to you. After everything that's happened, you deserve it. You also deserve a father who treats you right. That's a part of why I wanted to talk to you. I haven't been very good to you. And you didn't deserve that."

"You got yelled at by Amber again, didn't you?"

"Yes I did."

"Do I even want to know what she said this time?"

"Soon enough. But I have a serious question for you."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"What's really going on between you and Cedric?"

"What do you mean?"

"I oversaw something rather intriguing a couple nights ago. Very late at night."

Sofia's eyes narrowed. "Whatever you're trying to get at, just try to the point, please."

"I saw him kiss you. Are you and Cedric courting?"

Sofia paled. "You're not mad are you?"

"Oh I'm beyond mad. I'm furious."


	35. Chapter 35

**(A/N: Little secret, the last two chapters were originally meant to be one chapter. And the conversation between Sofia and Roland was difficult to write. It got rewritten more than once but I'm pretty pleased with the final product.**

**I won't keep you guys here. Especially after the cliffhanger I left you all with. And for the record, that cliffhanger has been what I've been laughing about.**

**I own nothing!)**

_"__Are you and Cedric courting?"_

_Sofia paled. "You're not mad are you?"_

_"Oh I'm beyond mad. I'm furious."_

Sofia frowned as tears welled in her eyes. "All this talk about you wanting to be a better father to me and it's all just a sham? You can't accept that Cedric is important to me and that he makes me happy? I should've stayed in Devon and never revealed myself!"

Sofia started to storm off but Roland grabbed her wrist before she could get very far.

"It's not a sham. I'm furious with myself."

Sofia blinked. "What?"

"I am upset that I've been as bad as I was to you and that it caused you to feel like you couldn't trust me. I'm not mad that you two are together. Well... not anymore. I would be lying if I said I wasn't furious when I saw him kiss you."

"So what stopped you from making a scene right then and there? Why wait for two days to bring up what you saw?"

"I almost did. I was less than happy to see what I saw. Just as I was about to do something, I remembered a conversation I had with Amber. She said that there was something going on with you but that you were scared to say anything because I hadn't been very good to you. She also thought I was starting to lose you. She said I've behaved more like a king towards you and not a father like I should have. Her words echoed in my mind right as I was about to do something. It forced me to stop and think things over."

"And what exactly have you realized as you thought it over?"

Sofia unconsciously reached towards the pocket she held her wand in. If Roland realized what was likely to happen if he didn't choose his next words carefully, he didn't show it.

"I realized that for once, I needed to do the right thing for you as a father and not a king. You two care immensely about each other. You're happy together. That's what I want for you; to be happy with the man of your choosing. And it looks like you chose very well. So I won't stand in the way. You have my approval."

Sofia stared wide eyed at her father for a moment. Then she embraced him tightly.

"Thank you, Dad."

Roland hugged Sofia back just as tightly. "You're welcome."

Sofia pulled back and jabbed a finger into Roland's chest.

"Scare me like that again and I will be turning you into a toad!"

Roland chuckled. "Fair enough. Best go tell your sweetheart you two can stop hiding your courtship."

Sofia smiled and ran back to the tower.


	36. Chapter 36

**(A/N: I'm glad to have surprised some of you with how the conversation ended. I can only imagine how on edge some of you were.**

**And by the looks of things, the story is going to go very quickly.**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia twirled around her room, a wide smile on her face. She realized she probably looked like a young school girl, the way she was acting. But she didn't care. She was very happy.

It had been about three months since Roland gave his approval and Sofia didn't think life could get much sweeter. The day after, Cedric and Sofia had gone out to Mystic Meadows and told his family that they were courting. They were surprisingly supportive, noticing how happy the two were together. Sofia and Cedric later agreed that his parents had definitely been spying on them through the portrait.

Not long after returning to the castle, the courtship had become public knowledge. Of course, the announcement had sparked a wild frenzy of gossip and rumors. But Sofia and Cedric couldn't care less about everything that was being said about them. They were happy together. That was what mattered to them.

A knock sounded at Sofia's door, returning her to reality. She glanced at the light from her windows and smiled.

Right on time.

Cedric had told Sofia he was working on a surprise for her that day and that he'd come find her when it was ready. He said it would be ready just before dusk.

Sofia opened the door and smiled happily at the sight of Cedric there. Cedric smiled back at his princess, then kissed her forehead.

"Are you ready, Sofia?"

Sofia nodded. "I am."

"Good. I do have to insist that you be blindfolded until we get there."

Sofia pouted a bit but took the cloth Cedric was holding and tied it around her eyes. Once Cedric was certain that Sofia couldn't see anything, he gently took her hands and guided her through the castle halls and out the doors.

Sofia couldn't tell exactly where they were going but the smell of flowers and other plants told her they were somewhere in the gardens.

After a bit, Cedric gently took the cloth off Sofia's eyes. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did, the princess couldn't believe her eyes.

They were in her secret garden, although since they started courting, it was more of **_their_** secret garden.

A small picnic of tea and fly cakes had been set out. Mixed red and white rose petals floated down to the ground around them.

Sofia's eyes spoke of the awe she felt at seeing the sight before her. Cedric smiled, taking her hand and pulling her towards the picnic. They enjoyed the picnic and each other's company.

As the sun set and the stars started coming out, Sofia noticed that Cedric was starting to seem a bit nervous.

_Strange._

"I have another surprise for you."

Cedric pulled a small vial from his pocket and poured precisely two drops on his palm. He blew on his hand and roses sprang forth, surrounding the two. But unlike the rose potion that Cedric gave Sofia the day they started courting, this rose potion only created roses of two colors.

Red and white.

Sofia stood up and reached out to the roses, awed but slightly confused.

_Why red and white?_

The roses from the potion began to fade away but two remained. One red and one white. As Sofia picked up the two entwined roses, something clicked in her mind. She turned to look at Cedric.

He had moved too when the roses first appeared and Sofia was momentarily distracted. But he hadn't stood up.

He was on one knee, holding a ring in one hand.

"Sofia, you are a wonderful, beautiful woman. You are the light to my dark. I can't imagine a day without you by my side and I love you more than I can express. Will you marry me?"

It took Sofia a moment to find her voice. "Yes."

Cedric stood and swept Sofia into his arms and twirled her around. Sofia squealed in laughter and excitement. After a moment, Cedric set Sofia down then slid the ring onto her finger.

Sofia gazed at the ring. A purple sapphire rested against a band of white gold. Sofia smiled.

"It's perfect, Cedric."

Cedric smiled warmly before capturing Sofia's lips with his.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	37. Chapter 37

**(A/N: Wise Owl, where have you been? I was worried I scared you off with that vicious cliffhanger a couple chapters ago. Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to see you back. **

**Lucyole- don't worry. The spell is going to be resolved very quickly. **

**Random fact, there's a condition called piebaldism. It's where small spots of skin and/or hair lack any pigment. So in a world where magic doesn't exist, that could be the explanation for Cedric's eye catching hair.**

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia sat on her bed holding the red and white roses Cedric gave her a few hours earlier. It was past midnight and as tired as the princess was, she too excited to sleep.

A knock sounded on her door and Amber entered. Sofia looked up and smiled.

"You can't be too excited to sleep too. You're not the one who got engaged."

Amber sat down on the bed by her sister.

"I know, but it doesn't stop me from being excited for you. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks Amber. Who knew such happiness was possible?"

"It only took a long time and a lot of heartache first."

Sofia smiled sadly for a moment but her expression brightened again quickly.

"You know, all of that time and heartache led to this very moment. It was hard. But it was worth it to gain this newfound happiness. I would do everything again if it meant being happy in the end."

Amber smiled. "Now let's hope you never have to suffer like that again. I was right. You are going to be the first one down the aisle."

"Now, we just need to find a great guy for you."

Amber blushed ever so slightly. Sofia's eyes widened.

"Wait what? You're starting to court someone? Who is it?"

"Don't tell Dad. It's not official yet. I think it might be heading that way but he hasn't asked yet. Right now, we're just enjoying our chance encounters."

"Well, who is it, Amber? You're killing me with this suspense."

"It's Desmond."

"No way! How did that happen? Tell me everything!"

"We ran into each other at a gala in Zumaria days after your courtship became public knowledge. He asked if it was true and I told him the truth that Cedric made you very happy and that with him, you never felt like you were less for being bald and scarred. Desmond mentioned having wanted to meet with you some time back."

"I remember that. We were supposed to meet the day I left to go to Avalor to free Cedric."

"Yeah, he decided that since you were happy with someone else, he would be happy for you too. We spent a lot of time together the rest of the evening."

"I'm so happy for you, Amber. That is so exciting. I'm sure you'll be happy together."

"Now wait a second, Sofia. It's not official. We haven't been on any outings together. And he hasn't even asked me to court him."

"Oh please, you two would make a great couple. He's smart, considerate, and respectful. You two will be so happy together. I'm certain of it."

"Now you sound like the meddlesome, matchmaking sister."

"You weren't ever much of a matchmaker sister. Meddlesome? Yes. But matchmaking? No."

"You obviously have missed the part where I've been setting James up with a bunch of nice girls. He doesn't seem to appreciate my help."

Sofia laughed before letting out a yawn. Amber poked her younger sister in the arm.

"You're tired," Amber said, right as a yawn escaped from her lips too.

Sofia chuckled and poked her sister back. "I think you are too."

"Sleepover in your room? For old time's sake? It won't be long before you're married and we won't be able to have sleepovers anymore."

"Sure."

The two sisters curled up on Sofia's bed. Within minutes, both were sound asleep.

The next morning, Sofia woke up smiling. She looked to her side at Amber still snoozing away. Sofia chuckled softly before looking at her nightstand where she had set the two roses from the night before. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw something new by the roses. A new vial of the rose potion, with a note attached to it. Sofia raised an eyebrow and picked up the note.

.

_Love you eternally,_

_Your faithful sorcerer_

.

Sofia's heart fluttered as she picked up the potion. Lost in her thoughts of the new step her life had taken, the princess stood up and walked towards her vanity. She glanced at the mirror then looked back down at the potion.

_Wait a second._

Sofia's eyes shot back up to the mirror. She stared at her reflection and pinched herself to sure she was awake. After feeling the resulting pain, Sofia blinked at her reflection.

Then she screamed bloody murder as the rose potion slipped out of her hand and exploded at her feet.

Roses sprang forth and knocked Sofia over but she hardly noticed.

"What's going on?" Amber sat straight up from the bed. "Oh. I see. Nice rose garden. But that should be an outdoor activity, not something you do in your room."

Sofia stood up and pointed at herself.

"Amber, please tell me I'm just dreaming."

"You, Sofia, are most definitely not dreaming. It's real. And you need to go talk with Cedric about it."


	38. Chapter 38

**(A/N: Warning, long chapter alert!**

**And dear guest reviewer- I "cant jest dae tha' ta" you? I think I just did. ;-) By the way, your review was hilarious. **

**I own nothing!)**

_"Amber, please tell me I'm just dreaming."_

_"You, Sofia, are most definitely not dreaming. It's real. And you need to go talk with Cedric about it."_

"He'd probably be just as stunned as I am."

Sofia looked at the mirror again and shook her head. Amber stepped over to her sister and placed her hands on the younger princess' shoulders.

"I don't think so. Just go talk to him."

"And what if he can't give an answer? And what if this isn't going to last?"

"You won't know unless you go talk with Cedric. Hurry. His family will be joining ours for a breakfast to celebrate your engagement. And you don't want to be late to that."

"And how do you suppose we'll be explaining this to everyone?"

"Go talk to Cedric. You're smart. He's smart. You'll think of something to explain it away."

Sofia stepped over to her closet but stopped short.

"You don't seem all that surprised by what's happening right now, Amber," Sofia said. "In fact, this didn't surprise you at all. If it had, you would have mentioned it right away. But you didn't. You mentioned the roses."

Amber's eyes widened for a moment but she quickly resumed a neutral expression.

"Get dressed and go talk with Cedric."

"No. You're going to answer why that is."

"Go talk with Cedric."

Sofia pointed a finger at her sister. "You know something, don't you? I just have to wonder how much."

"Go talk with Cedric."

"Fine. But you have some explaining to do later on."

Amber smiled sweetly. "Of course. Now get dressed and go talk with your sweetheart. You won't have long to talk before breakfast with our two families. But don't worry. If you two take too long in chatting, I'll tell everyone you accidentally dropped that rose potion and Cedric's making sure you're fine."

"Thanks."

Sofia stepped into her closet and pulled out one of her nicer gowns. After she was dressed, she transported to the workshop.

As Sofia appeared in the workshop, she instantly wished she had landed outside the work area and knocked. Cedric was standing at his desk with nothing covering his top half. Cedric looked up and smirked.

"Come now, Sofia, you can't tell me you haven't gotten used to me being only partially dressed after the many times you've seen me like this."

"I don't even have a response for that," Sofia said as she tried to will herself to stop blushing.

"Your hair looks beautiful."

"You're not much more surprised about this than Amber was. Not to mention some of my burn scars have faded significantly. They're still there but they're not as noticeable."

"I had strong suspicions that your hair would regrow and that the scars would fade."

Sofia fingered a lock of her hair. It had been a couple inches long when she first noticed it but it was now chin length.

And still lengthening.

"Cedric, what's going on?"

"What else would be going on? I think you know, deep down. You're just so shocked that you don't want to believe it could be true."

Sofia looked intently at her betrothed. As she did, she realized that there were no bandages covering his rotting left arm.

_Wait. Where's the rot?_

"The rot's disappeared from your arm. You said that would only happen when the spell was broken. The spell broke?"

"It did. It broke last night when a beautiful young lady said 'yes'."

Sofia looked up in shock. "What? The proposal was the key? And if the spell is broken, you can safely tell me just what happened eight years ago."

Cedric nodded. He motioned towards a mirror sitting in the corner of the workshop. Sofia recognized Calista's looking back mirror. She looked back at Cedric. He held his hand to her. Sofia took it.

"Show us the day of the accident. Entamo reflecto!"

_Cedric waved his wand over the cauldron. As he did, a fire lit underneath the cauldron._

_"Ostende mea! Ostende faciem! Ostende mea!"_

_The fire under the cauldron changed to a bright pink color with flecks of dark pink and blood red in it. Cedric continued to say the spell as he started adding in various ingredients- a single red rose with all its leaves and thorns plucked off, crystal water, a drop of his blood, crushed seashells, and more._

_Once the ingredients were added in, Cedric repeated the spell twice more. He picked up his wand again and waved it over the strange concoction. The ingredients began to swirl, bubbles popping up as it did. After a few minutes of those actions, the contents of the cauldron turned blood red. Cedric set his wand down and dipped his hands into the potion._

_"Ostende mea!"_

_A sound was heard. A laugh. One that was very familiar. Cedric pulled his hands out of the cauldron quickly, eyes wide with alarm. After a moment, he shook his head and waved his wand over the cauldron once more._

_"Ostende faciem!"_

_An image appeared in the cauldron. The image showed what appeared to be a young peasant woman curled up in a ball by a dying fire, a black cloak wrapped tightly around her body. Soft cries were heard and the woman's body shook a bit._

_"Who is that?"_

_Cedric looked more intently at the woman in the cauldron._

_After a moment, the woman sat up. As she did, the hood of her cloak fell away to reveal a bald, burn scarred head. The woman adjusted the cloak a bit and as she did, a large, purple gem was seen resting against her breastbone. Just as quickly as the Amulet of Avalor was seen, it was covered up again._

_Cedric's eyes widened in surprise and fear as the blood drained from his face. He knew instantly who the young woman really was._

_"Merlin's mushrooms, Sofia! What happened to you?"_

_Cedric quickly waved his wand over the cauldron, causing the image to disappear. He took no heed that the concoction continued hissing and boiling._

_"That can't be true. There's no way! That spell was a fad. She's a sweetheart but she's too young for me."_

_Cedric looked back at the cauldron for a moment, but the image did not return. He shook his head and started to pace, muttering incomprehensibly under his breath._

_A knock sounded and Cedric paled even more. The door opened._

_"Mr. Cedric!"_

_"Merlin's mushrooms! Sofia!"_

_The concoction gave one final hiss and exploded. Sofia was knocked down onto her butt by the blast while Cedric barely managed to stay upright. Several small fires started around the workshop and a few of them were on the two members of the castle. Realizing he needed to act fast, the sorcerer pointed his wand towards his young friend._

_"Protegra!"_

_As the protection charm emerged from the wand, the awry spell blew again and knocked Cedric down. The protection spell connected with the amulet and Cedric was sent flying at Sofia, knocking her down and her head into the hard floor beneath it._

_The amulet pulsed and Cedric's eyes widened. He started to go into the amulet but he quickly grabbed at the open door in an attempt to keep out of the amulet. After a moment, he seemed to realize that nothing could stop what was happening. _

_Cedric smiled sadly and brushed the unconscious princess' head, snuffing out the flames that got threateningly close to her face. As he did, soot got onto Sofia's face. _

_"I'm sorry, Sofia."_

_Cedric let go and allowed himself to go into the gem. Once he had vanished, the flames around the workshop went out. _

_Seconds later, Calista entered the workshop, eyes wide with fear._

"Out-o reflecto."

Sofia stared wide eyed as she processed what she had seen.

"That image of me in the cauldron… That wasn't long after I fled the castle. That was in Devon. I remember that day quite clearly. I was exhausted that day and was missing home."

"I know. You almost decided to grab Minimus and return to the castle."

"But I didn't. But wait! I was sixteen when that happened but the spell was cast when I was twelve. What was that spell you cast? What happened?"

"Not long before that morning, my parents were pestering me about not courting. I believe I told you about that."

Sofia nodded numbly.

"It got to the point where I wanted to do something about it," Cedric continued. "But I didn't know what. Work was piling up and I barely had time to eat and sleep. How would I have time to get out and try courting someone? One day, I was out to a sorcerer's conference and I heard about a witch who created the most unique spells, one of which was supposed to reveal one's true love. I was skeptical but I obtained a copy of the spell. It took a couple months of looking the spell over before I finally had enough of my parents' pestering. That morning, I cast the spell. I was not prepared to see sixteen year old you in the cauldron."

"But why sixteen year old me? I was twelve when you cast the spell."

"I think it was because it was shortly after you turned sixteen that I fell in love with you. That day, when you were curled up by the fire, I was yelling encouragement, even though I knew you couldn't hear me. As I was, I said I loved you. Startled myself when I realized just what I said. But it didn't take me long to know I meant those words."

"But even if that's true, how could the spell show a future event?"

"I don't fully know. I do know that the witch secretly used unconventional and dark methods in her works. Methods that are ancient and very much forbidden."

Sofia sat down. "What could she have to gain by doing such evil things?"

"Before her little tricks were discovered, she was gaining great popularity and respect in the magic world. From what I've learned of her, she had a very hard childhood and snapped when she was not much younger than you. She pushed to gain everything she thought she deserved."

"She just went about it in the wrong way. Oh, I just remembered. You mentioned that another sorcerer who cast this same spell as you revealed too much, too soon and it had drastic consequences. What happened?"

"Well, that's a long story for another time. More people than necessary got involved in that tragedy. The end result was that the sorcerer, his would have been love, and two others died."

"That's awful. All for talking about a spell?"

"There is a warning written on the spell about talking about the spell. I didn't fully understand it when I cast the spell. I don't think I particularly cared it existed. But when I remembered that I had cast the spell, I thought the warning over and began to understand what it meant. Then days after being released from the amulet, I got the warning about the witch and her spells. I started to learn about other instances of this spell being cast and when I learned about that one sorcerer and what befell him and those involved, I knew I had to be very careful. One good thing did come from that accident; it shed light on the witch's malicious mischief."

"So this is the first time you've talked about this? That must have been maddening to be keeping a secret that big."

"Amber knows. She came here in the middle of the night asking for a sleep aid and I slipped up. I mentioned something about not wanting to botch spells and potions the next day and something about not messing anything up since the Dunwittie crown museum. She got quite mad at me and threatened to expose me to you and your dad. It took a bit of work to convince her to keep the secret."

"No wonder she wasn't surprised earlier. How much does she know?"

"Well," Cedric waved his hand over the mirror. "Show us that conversation. Entama reflecto."

_"Now off you go. You have obnoxious suitors to sort through and I have spells and potions that I don't care to botch. Not that I've botched one since the day the Dunwittie crown museum was opened."_

_Amber dropped the potion she was holding._

_"What did you just say?" Amber demanded. "Sofia told me about that day. It was long before the accident that changed everything. If you haven't botched a single spell or potion since the Dunwittie crown museum fiasco then you've been lying about the accident eight years ago."_

_"Merlin's mushrooms!" Cedric hissed under his breath._

_"Start talking Cedric! Or I tell Sofia that her sweetheart isn't as good and faithful as he seems. Oh, and I also tell Dad that you didn't mess up whatever spell caused this in the first place. I'm sure he'd be very thrilled to hear about this. So who would you like to have come yell at you first? Sofia or Dad?"_

_Cedric paled. "You wouldn't."_

_"I would."_

_Amber turned towards the door. Cedric quickly moved and closed the workshop door before his angry visitor could leave._

_"Fine! But you have to promise not to tell your sister!"_

_"You're not in a position to bargain, Cedric."_

_"If you value Sofia's continued safety, you won't tell her anything!"_

_Amber's eyes widened._

_"Are you threatening my sister? The woman you're courting?"_

_"Merlin's mushrooms! Of course not! It's the spell I cast eight years ago. It's still very much active and creating havoc. I haven't told your sister or anyone else what really happened that morning because there will be serious consequences, especially for Sofia."_

_"Can't you cast a counterspell and do away with any risk associated with it? This is my sister we're talking about!"_

_"It was a custom made spell! And that spell is the type that will never have a counter spell! I can't do anything, except to let time and nature run its course!"_

_Amber heaved a heavy sigh then sat down on one of the seats in the workshop._

_"Tell me everything that happened that morning. Or at least what you can. No one will know we've talked unless you say it's okay."_

_Cedric glared at the blonde princess. Amber didn't back down. Cedric shook his head._

_"The spell was created about ten years ago by a witch who has since been locked up in a place where she will never be able to use magic again. She created many spells but didn't put appropriate warning labels on them. Most of what her spells promised to do was quite safe. The spell I cast was supposed to be very harmless."_

_"And yet, my sister got horrifically hurt and you went into the amulet."_

_"The witch included little extras in her spells that made them more than what they seemed. I learned of the spell and what it had to offer and I became intrigued. So I gathered what I needed and cast the spell. When your sister came into the workshop, the casting of the spell had been completed and I was stunned by what I had learned. Your sister came in here and I was further alarmed. Then, it happened. The spell exploded and in an attempt to keep Sofia from harm, I went into the amulet. Despite what you might be thinking right now, I was telling the truth when I said I lost some of my memory when I went into the amulet. I couldn't remember what spell I cast or some of the finer details of the accident. It took seven years to remember everything."_

_Cedric reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and a letter. He held them out to Amber so she could look over them._

_"That's the spell I cast and a letter I recently received warning all magic wielders not to use any spells from that witch."_

_Amber looked over the papers, eyes wide and face pale._

_"A spell to know who your true love is? It really does exist?"_

_"Sure seems appealing when you have parents and an older sister pestering you about being unmarried. It was not worth it."_

_"I can't believe this. This is all so unreal. How did you not know that it would have such far reaching side effects?"_

_"Oh believe me, if I had known that it would do the things it did, I never would have cast it. There's a reason the witch who created this spell is imprisoned. This spell, it not only grants the knowledge, it also creates circumstances for the knowledge to actually be useful."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"That spell reveals who your true love is. The one who is just meant to be your companion. We both know who that is for me. If I had tried to put that knowledge to use eight years ago, what do you think would have happened?"_

_Amber looked over the spell. "My dad would have had your head for sure, regardless of anything she would say or do."_

_"Precisely. So the spell created a set of circumstances that would bring us to a time where I could pursue Sofia. The spell put the idea into Calista's head to take the family wand and not reveal she had it. It made it so that Sofia wouldn't think of the wand in her attempts to free me. It made me forget what spell I had cast and not remember for seven years. By the time I remembered, I had already fallen in love with your sister. I've been looking into reports of others who have used this spell. All of them forgot they used this spell until after they fell in love with the person revealed to them."_

_Amber nodded. She looked over the spell and letter then handed them back to Cedric._

_"You said the spell is still active?"_

_"It is."_

_"What will happen when the spell is no longer active?"_

_"I don't know for sure. Each known incident of someone casting this spell has been different. None of them took more than three years to resolve so we're in uncharted territory. But there have been similarities amongst them all. The spell is considered complete when the caster and their love become engaged. And each caster gained a mark that won't go away until the spell is complete."_

_Amber looked intrigued. "You have a mark from it too?"_

_Cedric nodded grimly and rolled up his left sleeve to reveal that for about six inches above his wrist, his arm was tightly bandaged. He unraveled enough of the bandage to expose a couple inches of what it was hiding. Amber's stomach immediately rolled when she saw it. Cedric's arm resembled a rotten piece of raw meat and had the smell to go with it. Amber's stomach lurched even further as the smell hit her nose and she clasped her hand over her mouth. Cedric took the hint and covered his arm back up. As soon as the bandage was in place, the smell disappeared but Amber still felt queasy._

_"How do you manage to hide such an awful smell?"_

_"I enchanted the bandage to cover it up. It was very small when I first came out of the amulet, probably the reason your sister never noticed something odd. But it grows every time I say anything about what happened. It grew nearly all the way into what it is now by the morning we came back to Enchancia. I had to borrow a few ingredients from Avalor's royal wizard to create the bandage."_

_"When it's gone, that means the spell is no longer active, right?"_

_"Indeed."_

_"Are you going to tell Sofia the full truth then?"_

_"That will remain between Sofia and me."_

_"Anything else about it?"_

_Cedric paused._

_"Oh, there is something else this spell that's important. What is it?"_

_"I don't know for certain but I think as soon as the spell is broken, her hair will be able to regrow normally."_

_"What!? You should tell her that."_

_"Right. That lack of sleep is catching up to you. Sofia simply thinks I didn't properly cast the spell and that I only remember a tiny bit about what happened. I could tell her that her hair might be able to regrow normally but that would bring up questions that I shouldn't answer. Sofia doesn't know anything about what really happened for a reason. Besides, if I tell her and end up being wrong, she'll have to deal with the disappointment of false hope. You and I both know that she struggled with that side effect of the accident. It doesn't need to be made worse."_

_"I guess you're right this time. So if the spell is broken with a proposal, why not propose to her as soon as she returns from her protector duties?"_

_"Merlin's mushrooms. You really are tired. First off, we haven't been courting very long. Secondly, you're still the only one who knows anything. We still need to talk to your father. And thirdly, it's not the right time. As much as I want this spell broken, I am not about to rush your sister into anything. There's no risk to her as long I tell her nothing."_

_"I guess so. I still think you should tell her some of the truth. But that has to be your choice. I'm going to bed. You should too."_

_Amber turned to leave the workshop. Cedric quickly grabbed her arm, causing the princess to turn and face him again. Their eyes met, Cedric's burning with an intensity that was rarely seen._

_"Remember your promise. No one knows we talked tonight unless I say so. Tell on me and cause unnecessary problems and I don't care if you're the heir to the throne and Sofia's sister. I will go after you."_

_"I won't tell. But back at you. Keep treating my sister right and you won't have anything to worry about from me."_

"Out-o reflecto."

"That is such a normal thing for Amber to do," Sofia said. "Threatening someone to get something she wants."

"And a few nights after that, you and I argued."

"That explains so much. No wonder you both were acting so strange."

Cedric was about to say something when a knock sounded on the door.

"Are you two done talking in there?" Amber's voice sounded through the door. "Our families are waiting on you two. They didn't seem to buy the story about the rose potion spill so you two better hurry up."

"Rose potion spill?" Cedric raised an eyebrow.

"I was very much startled by the appearance of a head full of hair and I dropped that potion you sent."

Cedric shook his head. "You're lucky Sofia. If something goes wrong with that potion, whoever messed it up essentially becomes a walking rose bush for a few days."

Sofia's eyes widened. "Sounds uncomfortable. Amber, tell everyone we'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Okay, but hurry up. Covering for you is still a full time job."

Sofia smirked but her expression turned solemn quickly.

"Cedric, I was bald when I went to bed last night. How do we explain the fact that I suddenly have hair again?"

"I have an idea." Cedric grabbed a vial from his desk. "I've thought about this happening for a long time. A hair regrowth potion. And this is a potent one. We could say that you used it for the first time last night and it worked better than we anticipated."

"And if they ask why I did that, we could say it was time for a new beginning. It's a good thing you have thought about this for awhile. Now, you need to finish getting dressed. Our families are waiting."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell me to finish getting dressed sooner. Especially considering some of your previous reactions when you've walked in on me only partially dressed."

Sofia glared at Cedric. "You get dressed now!"

Cedric smirked. "Attiro!"

The missing parts of Cedric's attire appeared on him. Sofia rolled her eyes.

"Crazy sorcerer."

"Beautiful princess."

Cedric placed a short, sweet kiss on Sofia's forehead.

"Come now, Sofia. We have a big family breakfast to get to. And a lot of questions we're going to have to answer."

Cedric held his hand out to Sofia. She took it, smiling nervously.

_This is going to be an interesting breakfast._

**(A/N: I sure enjoyed the reviews from chapter 37.**

**Allyrwhitney- how would it not be alarming for Sofia when her hair suddenly grew back? She's been bald for eight years.**

**Ashruka Krusnik- brownie points for you for being the first to guess what Sofia saw.)**


	39. Chapter 39

**(A/N: Well Ms. Scotty, nice to make your acquaintance. I'm glad you like the cliffhangers. Although, I don't have anymore cliffhangers, unless I decide to tweak things. And I don't think I'll be gone so long anymore. As far as writing the story goes, I just barely finished writing the final chapter. Should be fairly quick and consistent in uploading the remaining chapters.**

**Ashruka Krusnik- I have thought about the truth having to come out but if it does, it won't be in this story. Don't take this as a promise of a sequel though.**

**Speaking of stories, I just wrote a one shot piece called ****_Scoundrel_****. I'll be uploading it soon so keep an eye out for it. Since it's just a short piece, I'm not going to do a sneak peek. **

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia tried to look interested in Amber and Madame Collette as they prattled on about ideas for her wedding dress but her mind was far away.

"Sofia? Sofia? Are you listening?"

Sofia startled a bit and looked up at the two.

"Oh. Sorry. We're done for the day."

"Oh but Sofia," Amber said. "Madame Collette needs to get started on your dress so you need to give her an idea for what you would like."

"The wedding is two months away. It won't hurt if this gets pushed to tomorrow."

"But-"

"Amber, no. No buts about it. We are done doing any wedding planning today."

Sofia stood up and left the room. She walked down the hallway towards her room. Sofia turned a corner and bumped into Roland.

"Oof. Sorry Dad. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going."

"That's okay, Sofia. I imagine you have a lot on your mind."

Roland wrapped an arm around Sofia as they continued to walk down the corridor.

"Yeah, I do. I swear Amber wants to have the whole wedding planned today. I love her, but she can be so pushy sometimes. And some of her ideas for the wedding are a far cry from what I would choose. She's already written out a guest list and it was longer than I thought possible."

Roland chuckled. "How many?"

Sofia shook her head. "I don't know how she did it but there was nearly five hundred in her count. I don't know that many people. I took that list straight out of her hands and set it on fire. And then told her that when it was her wedding she was more than welcome to have such an expansive guest list. I almost regret inviting her to help me plan. It's causing a lot more stress than I imagined and I've only been engaged for a week."

Roland nodded. "She's your sister and she does love you. So just ask her to back off. She does get big ideas about things but that's just her way."

"I decided no more planning for today. I am just about ready to turn her into a toad."

Roland laughed. "You should tell her that. If nothing else, it'll get her attention."

Sofia nodded. "I will talk with her and ask her to back off. But for now, I just need a break."

"Going up to the tower?"

"No. Not until after lunch. We're going to be working on long distance transportation and it is not easy. For now, I just want to relax."

Roland nodded. "Of course. Do you need or want anything?"

"Just some alone time. I'm thinking of going to the gardens. It's always relaxing out there."

Roland smiled and placed a quick kiss on Sofia's temple.

"By all means. Don't let me stop you."

"Thanks Dad."

Sofia smiled and went on her way. Out in her garden, she conjured up a blanket and spread it out on the grass. Sofia relaxed on the blanket, closing her eyes. The sounds of nature were quite a welcome change from Amber shoving ideas down her throat about the wedding.

Sofia was starting to fall asleep when she heard a rustling that was not nature related.

"There you are, Sofia."

Sofia tried not to cringe at Amber's voice.

"Amber," Sofia said, not opening her eyes. "I love you, but if you're going to continue talking about the wedding when I said enough, you're going to wish I never learned magic."

Amber sat by Sofia.

"Oh but like you said earlier, the wedding is only two months away. All things considered, you deserve- ACK!"

Sofia waved her hand and Amber's comment was cut off as she shrunk into a toad. Sofia turned and looked at her now small and spotted sister.

"Sofia!" Amber croaked.

Sofia sat up and looked down at her sister. She held out her hand and Amber hopped into it. Sofia held her sister up so they could see eye to eye.

"Amber, what you think I deserve and what I want are two vastly different things. You're full of ideas for an extravagant wedding but I want something small and simple. If Cedric and I wanted something big, we would have said so last week when we first got engaged."

"I'm just trying to help."

"I know that but you are also stressing me out. So please back off and respect my wishes. I said no more for today. No more. Understand?"

Amber nodded.

"Good. I'm sending you to your room. As soon as you arrive, you'll return to your human form. I want to enjoy some time alone. Oh, and one more thing. I will turn you back into a toad if you get overbearing again. But next time I won't return you to your human form so quickly. Bye now."

Amber disappeared in a puff of smoke and Sofia laid back down. After some time, she began to relax again. A few minutes later, her eyes grew very heavy and she fell asleep.

oOo

Cedric glanced at the time and scowled.

_It's not like Sofia to be late to a lesson._

Cedric took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sofia had mentioned that she and Amber were going to be talking to Madame Collette about the wedding gown.

_Maybe they went long and lost track of time._

Consoled by that thought, Cedric continued working on his to do list. After a few minutes though, he looked at the time again.

_Losing track of time or not, she's never this late!_

Cedric decided to go find Sofia. A passing servant indicated that Sofia had left Madame Collette's a long time ago. Hearing that, Cedric felt his concern increase. He still had nightmares about Sofia breaking mirrors and hurting herself on the broken shards.

Cedric turned a corner and nearly knocked Amber over. The eldest princess glared at her soon to be brother-in-law.

"Cedric, did you have to teach Sofia how to turn people into animals?"

"She learned that trick on her own. Speaking of Sofia, do you know where she is? She was supposed to come up to the workshop for lessons but she never did."

Amber sighed. "You might check the secret garden. But watch out. She was not in a good mood when I saw her last."

Cedric bit back a chuckle.

"Your mood isn't all that great either. I should wonder why both Enchancian princesses are in terrible moods."

Amber's glare intensified a bit. "Just go find your fiancé and make sure she hasn't turned anyone else into toads today."

Amber turned sharply and hurried down the hallway, yelling at some poor, unfortunate servant to draw another bath. Cedric's eyes widened.

_What happened?_

Cedric transported to the secret garden. Sure enough, Sofia was there, still asleep. Cedric heaved a sigh of relief at having found his princess. He sat down by her and lightly touched her shoulder to wake her.

"Oh what now!" Sofia said as she woke up.

When the sorceress princess realized who was there, she sat up fast.

"Sorry. I thought you were Amber again. She's been very annoying."

"She seems to think you in a bad mood today."

"Let's just say I regret inviting her to help me with wedding plans. She's been trying to have it planned in one day. And shoving big, extravagant ideas down my throat."

"Sounds very much like her. She also mentioned something about you turning people into toads?"

Sofia sighed. "Just her. At some point, I decide I'm done with any wedding planning for the day and I told her that. Come out here for some peace and quiet and she eventually comes out and isn't ready to push wedding plans to tomorrow. I warned her not to do it but she did. She didn't listen until she turned small and could only croak."

Cedric chuckled. "Good for you. She needs to listen to you."

"Yeah. I told her that if she got overbearing again, I would turn her back into a toad and not return her to her human form as quickly. So hopefully there won't be anymore problems with that."

"It's a strange day in the kingdom if you're mad or annoyed with Amber."

Sofia laughed. "I know. Normally it's my dad. But I'm glad that we were able to truly mend our relationship."

Cedric smiled. "I don't think you noticed how much that dimmed your spirit, being at such odds with him."

"Probably not. Cedric, if I hadn't returned to the castle when I finally freed you from the amulet, would you have encouraged me to come back to the castle? Be honest."

Cedric shook his head. "No. I don't think I would have. But you would have come back of your own accord. Eventually."

"Why do you think that?"

"You're all goodness and light, something I'm not. That would have brought you home."

"And you would follow me back."

Cedric chuckled. "Of course I would. You're the light in my dark existence. It may be selfish but I do not want to ever live a life without you in it."

Sofia smiled, a soft blush creeping up on her cheeks.

"Who knew you could be so sweet and sentimental, Mr. Ceeedric?"

A slight mischievous glint flashed through Cedric's eyes.

"I'm sweet and sentimental, hmm? Well, how's this for sweet?"

Cedric wrapped Sofia in a bear hug and transported them away from the garden. Before Sofia could register where they were, she was released from Cedric's grasp.

And pushed into cold water.

Sofia popped her head out of the lake and glared at Cedric. He simply smirked.

"Cedric!"

Cedric squated so he could look his princess in the eyes better.

"Sorry Princess," Cedric said, poking her on the nose. "But you had to know I would eventually drop you in a lake for mispronouncing my name."

Sofia shook her head.

"And after all the help I give you in the workshop?"

"Yes, well I seem to recall that someone also missed her lessons today. When I was in sorcery school, an unplanned swim would be considered a small punishment for something like that."

Sofia grabbed onto the dock and pulled herself out of the lake.

"You could've at least picked somewhere warm. That lake is cold."

"Oh I believe you know a spell to remedy that."

"Yeah, I do."

Sofia started to reach for her pocketed wand but in a split second, pushed Cedric straight into the lake. Before Cedric could emerge, Sofia jumped back into the lake, morphing into a mermaid as she went.

Underneath the lake's surface, Sofia watched in amusement as Cedric grabbed furiously at his wand and morphed himself into a merman.

"That was completely uncalled for," Cedric said.

"But it was fun watching you flail as you fell in."

"You little rascal! You better watch your back!"

"Or what?" Sofia smiled sweetly.

"Or I'll-"

"Better think fast," Sofia quickly interrupted. "I'm going for a swim. And I don't think you'll be able to keep up."

Before Cedric could retort, Sofia swam off. Cedric quickly followed, an idea forming in his head.

Sofia looked back to see how far behind she'd left her sweetheart. She paused when she realized he wasn't following behind her. In fact, she didn't see him at all.

Unexpectedly, arms grabbed her from behind. Cedric held Sofia tightly as she squirmed.

"I do believe I caught a princess."

Sofia turned her head so she could look at her captor. She gave him her most adorable smile.

"It would appear so," Sofia said sweetly. "So what plans do you have for your catch?"

Cedric grinned smugly. He turned Sofia so that she was actually facing him.

"Let's see. What is befitting of this catch? I could release her. But she's too magnificent to let go of. I may just have to keep her."

"You really are turning into a sap."

Cedric let out a low growl. "Do try to curb any thoughts of mischief, _Princess_. You may now have a lot of tricks up your sleeves but I can still outdo you. And it is very unbecoming for a princess to be so mischievous."

"Well, my dear sorcerer, it's a good thing I'm no ordinary princess."

"A good thing in deed."

Cedric tightened his grip on his fiancé and kissed her passionately. Sofia relaxed into his grip and wrapped her arms around him.

"My princess."

"My sorcerer."


	40. Chapter 40

**(A/N: Starjammerblue, thanks for the tip about frogs and toads. I went back and edited the chapter so it's accurate.**

**NerdsinaTree- don't worry, Sofia and Amber are still good. Amber just needed a firm reminder as to whose opinion matters most right now. And of course she didn't like the method. U****nfortunately, Amber is going to take quite a bit of flack leading up to the wedding. **

**I own nothing!)**

Sofia took a steady breath while Madame Colette poked and prodded her. There were four weeks left until the wedding and the princess was trying on her dress for the first time. Immediately, Sofia and the aged tailor knew that some adjustments needed to be made to the dress. Since the younger princess had a major tendency to acquire her clothing from the village tailor or sometimes make it herself, the castle staff was not very used to making things for her anymore.

"Hey Sofia."

Sofia looked over at Amber and smiled.

"Hey Amber. I'd come hug you but I can't move until I give Madame Collette back the dress to work on."

Amber chuckled. "That's okay. I'll only be a moment. I was going over some of your notes for the wedding and I noticed some things didn't quite add up. Some staff said one thing and your notes say another."

"Follow my notes, not what gossipy servants are saying."

"Thought as much. And the wedding was going to be held out in the gardens. Do you finally have a set spot in mind?"

"Wasn't that answered a long time ago? The rose gardens."

"Oh right. That must have not gotten written onto your notes somehow. And you two decided on two hours before dusk. So how do plan to accommodate the cold when it gets dark?"

"Geez Amber, do you not know what a major shared interest is between the soon to be married couple? Magic. Besides, it's still summer. It's not going to get very cold when the sun goes down. Maybe a little cool. But not so much that we would need to worry about it."

"Right… What happens if the weather is not good? Do you have a backup plan for an indoor wedding?"

"The observatory."

"That makes sense I guess. And Chef Andre has some menu samples for you and Cedric to try later on. And the baker made a small scale sample of the cake you requested. He'll be here soon."

"Anything else?" Sofia deadpanned.

"Not for you but Cedric is being a stickler about getting down here to be measured for his wedding clothes. He's going to end up with an ill fitted outfit if he doesn't get down here soon."

"No he won't. He has a full arsenal of clothing spells at his disposal. If he doesn't make it down here fast enough for Madame Collette and her helpers to make something that fits him properly, he'll probably just spell his outfit so it does."

"That's not the point, Sofia."

"You're right, it's not. But since you insist on being so helpful, you can go tell him what you think yourself."

Amber dropped the list and pen she was holding. Her mouth gaped wide open. Sofia had to resist the urge to laugh at her sister's reaction.

"Like Cedric would listen to me."

"You could pull your trump card and command it."

"Ha! He only listens to what I command if I threaten him."

"I think you're losing your touch, Amber. You're stubborn and let nothing stop you when you have something to do. So why the lack of stubbornness? I can't go anywhere for awhile yet. Just go up there and tell him to get down here if he wants any input on his wedding attire and for it to fit properly. And if he doesn't want an ornery fiancé on his hands."

Amber rolled her eyes. "If he ends up not listening to anything I say, you're going to get it."

"I sincerely doubt that. I can still turn you into a toad any day."

Amber's cheeks mottled as she remembered her short time as a toad. It had taken her several baths before she no longer felt absolutely disgusting.

"I'll see you at dinner."

Sofia nodded, smiling to herself as she thought about a little surprise that was coming for the elder princess.

oOo

Some time later, Sofia was hurrying towards the dining hall. A goofy smile graced her lips as she thought of the little plan she was in on. It had taken a bit of work to set some things up for it but the brunette was quite pleased with her handiwork.

Sofia turned a corner and saw Baileywick.

"Ah, Princess Sofia. Have you seen your sister anywhere?"

"Amber's in her room changing her gown. I accidentally ran into her with a glass of juice and she was a sticky mess."

"Oh dear. She has a visitor. He just barely arrived."

Sofia nodded. Pretending to not know anything about the visitor or that the juice spill _wasn't_ an accident was actually easier than the princess anticipated.

"I'll go tell her she needs to be quick. Go let her visitor know she'll be there in just a moment."

Baileywick nodded and went off to do as commanded. Sofia took a cheat route and transported to Amber's room.

"I hope you're dressed. You have a visitor."

"Please don't tell me it's another peacock who's only interested in becoming a king."

"I don't know. Baileywick didn't say who it was."

Not that he needed to. Sofia already knew.

"I think you should wear that new dress you got a couple days ago," Sofia said. "It's just right for you."

Amber poked her head out from the closet. "Really?"

"Yes. Now hurry up. It's not polite to keep visitors waiting."

Amber nodded and hurried to grab the dress and pull it on.

"Help me get the back tied please."

Sofia obliged. In moments, Amber was dressed and ready. Sofia nodded her approval.

"Yes I think that dress suits you. Bye now! Be back before midnight!"

Sofia waved her hand, transporting her sister to the throne room where the brunette knew the visitor was waiting. She smiled coyly and headed to the dining room.

oOo

Sofia was sleeping soundly that night when suddenly someone shook her shoulder.

"It can't be morning already," Sofia said sleepily.

"No it's not. It's almost midnight."

Sofia glared at the intruder. "Then let me sleep, Amber. I have a long day of grueling sorcery lessons tomorrow."

"I won't be long. Desmond was my visitor and I got back not long ago. You had something to do with him coming out here, didn't you?"

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No."

"Of course not. How was the outing?"

"It was awesome. We went boating and had a picnic. And he finally asked if he could court me."

"How wonderful. I'm going back to bed."

Sofia closed her eyes again. But Amber wasn't finished.

"You had to know something. Why else would you insist on me wearing that dress and tell me to be back before midnight?"

"I may have suggested to him that make that step if he really liked you but everything else was on him. Now will you please let me go back to sleep?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sofia. I still have so many questions about this."

"And I'm going to be pushed beyond my limits in the workshop tomorrow. You may ask your questions but not right now. Now go to bed before I decide to spell you to sleep. And you know I can and will."

Amber sighed. "This isn't over. I'll be back."

"_Goodnight _Amber." Sofia's tone warned her sister to hurry off.

So the blonde ran off. Sofia smiled before going back to sleep.

**(A/N: homework for you guys. Look up the Celtic Sister Knot. You'll understand why very soon.)**


	41. Chapter 41

Sofia nervously paced her bedroom. The wedding was two days away and her nerves shot through the roof. She'd had a final fitting of her dress early that morning and it fit perfectly. And soon, Amber would be bombarding her with last minute details.

Sofia sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. Then she took several deep breaths, hoping to ease her anxiety. The deep breathing did nothing.

A knock sounded on her door and Sofia's nerves spiked.

_I'm not ready for you, Amber!_

Surprisingly though, the door did not open. Sofia realized it was someone else. Amber would have just burst through the door without knocking. Sofia opened the door and smiled.

Cedric stood there, holding a picnic basket and blanket. Sofia hugged him.

"You're definitely a sight for sore eyes. I was expecting Amber."

Cedric smirked. "Amber won't be badgering anyone with last minute details for some time."

Sofia arched an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. She's simply taking a nap."

"Right… Just a nap. Two days before the wedding and also the day that Elena and her family will be arriving. Why do I have a feeling there's more to that nap than her simply needing some extra sleep?"

"I have no idea. But she can stay asleep until we've had lunch. And a decent break from everything else going on here."

Sofia grinned. "You're the best, Cedric!"

"Yes, I am. Now come on. It won't be long before someone else decides to come find us and pepper us with anything and everything."

Cedric took Sofia's hand. Within moments, they were in the secret garden, a barrier up to keep well meaning people from interrupting them.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Sofia said. "Elena whispered something to you moments before we left Avalor and you clearly didn't like what she said. What did she say?"

Cedric swallowed his bite of food too fast and coughed.

"She told me that you're like a sister to her and as such, she felt the need to make sure you were treated properly. She also said that she could see how I felt about you and warned me that if I wasn't good to you and she found out, she'd make sure I'd wish I was never freed from the amulet."

Sofia's eyes widened and she burst out laughing. "You had royalty from two kingdoms breathing down your neck? That's just too good."

"How she could tell I'd fallen for you, I still don't know."

Sofia laid down on the blanket. Cedric chuckled and laid down by his sweetheart.

"This was a much needed break," Sofia said. "I'm glad you figured out how to get some time away from people. Too bad Amber's going to be furious when she wakes up."

Cedric rolled his eyes. "I do believe your sister will live."

Sofia nodded. "You're right. So, picnic lunch here tomorrow? I'll spell people if necessary this time."

Cedric smiled. "I think someone is forgetting the luncheon tomorrow with our families and our guests from Avalor."

Sofia scowled. "Right. Breakfast instead? We could watch the sunrise together."

"That sounds marvelous. And if we sneak out soon enough, we won't need to spell anyone for privacy."

"I like the sound of that."

Cedric propped himself up on his elbow and placed his other hand on the other side of Sofia. He leaned close to her.

"Good," he said softly before kissing her passionately.

oOo

A few hours later, Sofia was at the docks with Cedric and her family. Minus Amber. Sofia smiled and tightened her grip on Cedric's hand.

"Where's Amber?" Roland asked.

"I've not seen her since breakfast," Sofia said.

It wasn't a lie. Sofia just wasn't about to mention that her sister had been spelled to sleep.

"She better be here soon," Roland said. "She would be upset if she missed Elena and her family arriving. Not to mention it would be a little rude on her part."

Sofia smiled innocently. "I'm sure she'll be here very soon."

Sure enough, seconds later Amber came rushing towards the family. She looked a little frazzled and definitely annoyed.

"There you are Amber," Sofia said sweetly. "I was surprised you weren't on me all day about last minute details. Whatever were you doing?"

Amber's eyes narrowed as she calculated just how much her sister knew about the unplanned nap. Sofia smirked slightly. Amber shook her head. She could take a hint.

Now was not the time to rant about her nap.

Unless she really wanted to get it.

"I fell asleep looking over a list of details. I must have not gotten as good a rest last night as I thought I had."

Amber shot Cedric a glare. The look was not missed by the rest of the family. But nothing was said as the Avaloran ship was spotted. Within minutes, the ship docked and the visitors disembarked.

Sofia quickly hugged Elena.

"It's been too long, Elena."

"I know," Elena said. "Let me look at you. I still can't believe you have hair again. When I received that letter, I had to reread it several times and give it to Gabe and Mateo to make sure I read it right."

Sofia paled just a bit. There had been a bit more to _that_ letter than just announcing the engagement, extending an invite to the wedding, and telling Elena her hair was back.

"Don't worry," Elena said. "That part you wanted just between us, they didn't read."

Sofia's color returned to normal. She didn't want Avalor's captain of the guard and royal wizard knowing the abbreviated version of what really happened that morning.

"Okay. Come now. I'm sure you all are ready to freshen up and have something to eat. And rest from the trip."


	42. Chapter 42

**(A/N: ****So some of you may remember that I mentioned the inspiration for the story coming from a comment on a fan video on YouTube. I'm finally going to fill in the blanks on that. The video is called _Finally this day has come…(Cedfia)_. The comment said '_I assume this will be based on the day Cedric's finally released from the Amulet after many years later...Yet he hasn't aged but Sof grew up the same age as him Making it necessary for both to get married.333 :D_'**

**So there you have it. The inspiration that started this journey. You should all go watch the video. **

**Time to lay on all the sweetness. Seriously, I may have to swear off sugar for a year because of how sweet this chapter is. **

**I own nothing!)**

The day had finally come. The wedding was finally happening.

Sofia held still as a handful of maids fussed over her appearance. Having so much help with getting ready was a little strange but the blushing bride wasn't complaining.

Except when her hair got pulled by accident.

A knock was heard on the door and Amber entered. She was completely put together and looking every bit the part of maid of honor and sole bridesmaid.

"You're still not ready? The wedding starts in-"

"Forty minutes," Sofia finished. "I'm not worried yet. Baileywick will knock on the door when it's time to go out to the gardens. Besides, I'm allowed to take longer to get ready than you this time. I'm the one walking down the aisle, not you."

Amber smiled. "I know. I passed Cedric on my way here. Poor guy. I don't remember when the last time was that I saw him so nervous and fidgety."

Sofia laughed. "I think my sorcerer is going to live. He was nervous when he asked to court me and when he proposed and he survived."

"Well this is bigger than asking an important question. Good thing you two are letting Calista handle any magic for the wedding."

"It's Calista and Mateo handling any magic involved for the wedding. And only because Cedric and I won't be able to. Don't think his nerves would keep him from doing it like they have in the past. He's not the bumbling sorcerer of the past. He's confident, caring, and dare I say it?"

Amber looked intrigued.

"A sap," Sofia finished.

Amber laughed. "That's a good one. Cedric a sap? Are you sure we're talking about the same guy?"

"You'd be surprised at how sweet he can be. But don't you dare repeat any of this, especially not to him. He dumped me into a cold lake mere seconds after calling him sweet and sentimental a couple months ago."

Amber looked slightly mortified.

"Oh don't worry, I got him back. He joined me in being cold and wet."

Amber snickered. "Serves him right."

Sofia waved away the maids who were still fussing over her appearance. She walked over to her sister and took her hands.

"You know, I owe you a huge thanks. So many times over those eight years, I was so close to giving up. I sometimes think that I might have actually given up if you hadn't been by my side every step of the way. I couldn't have done it without you cheering me on. And I know, many times I frustrated you because you couldn't reach me in the shield I put up around myself. But I'm so glad you never gave up on me. It will mean more than you will ever know. So thank you."

Both sisters' eyes misted. Amber tightly embraced her brunette sister. After a while, Sofia pulled back.

"I have something for you."

She reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out something wrapped in a piece of soft cloth. Amber unwrapped the cloth and looked wide eyed at what it held. A pendant now lay on Amber's hand. It was an infinite knot with a heart at the center. The pendant was silver with a subtle green shine to it. It was very warm in Amber's hand.

"Sofia, it's beautiful. Where did you get the idea?"

"While I was out in Devon, I heard of an infinite knot that represented sisters and their bond. Making the pendant was a challenge, I nearly torched the workshop several times. But it turned out better than I could have hoped. It's infused with a bit of magic. It will glow faintly in the dark and it will always be warm will become warmer when it comes near mine."

Sofia pulled another pendant from her pocket. It looked the same as Amber's, except it had a purple sheen to it instead of green.

"There's more that it does," Sofia explained. "But there isn't enough time right now to explain it all."

"Thank you Sofia. I'll treasure it always."

Sofia was about to say something but a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Amber called.

"It's Baileywick. It's almost time, Highnesses. Are you ready?"

"Yes Baileywick," Sofia called. "We're ready. We were about to come out."

"Very well."

Sofia smiled, pocketing her pendant. Amber pocketed hers as well.

"Your sorcerer isn't going to be able to keep his eyes off you."

Sofia smiled. "Ready Sister?"

"Always, Sister."

The two stepped out of the room and into the hallway. They walked to the gardens, reaching the designated area. A simple hedge kept the wedding out of sight from Sofia and vise versa. Roland stood by the hedge, waiting calmly. He smiled at the sight of his two daughters.

"You both look breathtaking. Amber, will you give us a moment please?"

Amber nodded and stepped to the side. Roland smiled and took Sofia's hands.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little nervous but I'm excited. Was that how it felt when you and Mom got married?"

Roland nodded. "Yes. It was. Maybe even more so because we both had kids who were being brought into the marriage."

"I think it all turned out very well. I barely have any memories of my birth father. I'm glad I have you. You've been an amazing dad and I wouldn't trade you for anyone else."

Sofia stood up on her tiptoes and placed a small kiss on Roland's cheek. In response, the father placed a kiss on Sofia's forehead.

"Any man would be a lucky man to have you for his daughter."

"Thank you, Dad."

Roland smiled sadly. "I know I haven't always been very good to you. Especially when you needed it most."

Sofia shook her head. "Dad, maybe you messed up a little bit but you made up for it. You've been good to me and supportive of what is most important to me. Please don't beat yourself up about what you did wrong to me anymore. You're forgiven. I hope you know that."

Sofia hugged Roland tightly. He returned the embrace with equal tightness.

"I do know that, Sofia. And it means a lot to have your forgiveness."

Roland let out a sigh and shook his head. He touched his forehead lightly against Sofia's.

"I'm not ready for this," Roland said softly. "I'm not ready to walk one of my daughters down the aisle and give her to another man. At least, it's to a good man."

Sofia smiled. "He's not just a good man. He's a great man. And so are you. But ready or not, it's time."

Roland smiled and gave Sofia one more hug.

"Whatever happens next, you are my daughter and I love you more than I can express."

Sofia smiled. "I love you too, Dad."

Roland glanced at Baileywick and nodded.

It was time.

The next moments were very surreal to Sofia as she finally proceeded down the aisle. Everything was even more perfect and magical than she could have imagined. It was different seeing Cedric in something other than his sorcerer's robes but Sofia didn't think her beloved could look any handsomer. And despite what a certain blonde princess had said, Cedric didn't look nervous at all.

He looked awestruck.

When she reached the end of the aisle, Sofia handed her bouquet, a combination of red and white roses, to Amber. The roses no longer in her hand, Sofia took Cedric's hands instead.

"Dearly beloved…" the bishop began.

Sofia tried to pay some attention to what was being said but her focus was on Cedric. And something in how he was looking at her told the same tale- he wasn't focusing on the extra long speech about how to run a good marriage and family life either.

"Do you have any vows you would like to say?"

"Cedric, from the moment I first met you, I was intrigued by you. You were the most interesting person I'd met. You quickly became my best friend. But then you were lost and it took so much to find you again. But I know now, however you may become lost, I will find you. I will always find you. Because that's what you do when you love someone. And I love you with all my heart."

"Sofia, in the beginning, I wasn't very fond of you, a young girl who was new to the castle and being a princess. Someone who had a light to her that shone brighter than anything I've ever known. It didn't take very long for that light to touch my dark heart and change me for the better. You are my truest friend. I don't want to be away from you again. I will always be there for you. I love you more than anything."

Had the two looked around, they might have noticed that there wasn't a dry eye anywhere in the ceremony. But Cedric and Sofia continued to keep their focus on each other.

"May I have the rings?"

To the untrained eye, the rings were as plain and ordinary as any wedding bands. But they were not. Not unlike the pendants Sofia had made for her and Amber, the rings were embedded with magic. Magic that would link Cedric and Sofia together even when they were apart.

The rings were placed on their respective hands, softly glowing as they were.

The bishop had a few more words to say but by that point, both Sofia and Cedric really weren't paying him much attention. Just anticipating the moment he pronounced them married.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And Cedric did. He kissed Sofia sweetly, pulling her close to him. Cheering and clapping sounded around them but they noticed none of it. They were only focused on each other anticipating the rest of their life, spent together.

"My princess," Cedric whispered softly enough for only Sofia to hear.

"My sorcerer," Sofia whispered just as softly.

**(A/N: Don't run away just yet. There's one more chapter, the epilogue. And it will be up very soon.)**


	43. Epilogue

Sofia walked through the gardens, early one morning. She had woken up and not been able to go back to sleep.

It had been a few months since the wedding and Sofia didn't think life could get much sweeter. Amber's courtship with Desmond was going well and everyone was anticipating a proposal very soon. James was making great strides in his journey as a knight, very soon to become one of the best the kingdom ever had if his current progress was any indication. Although he expressed no current interest in courting, rumor had it that a young lady in the village had caught his attention. And Calista was about to finish sorcery school, top of her class and with the highest scores seen in many years.

_Speaking of family._

Sofia's hand unconsciously brushed her stomach. She looked towards the tower where she had so many happy memories. Yes, there were some unhappy moments in that tower, but the good outweighed them. And a new joyous moment was about to join the ranks, one Sofia was certain would top just about every happy moment between her and Cedric.

Sofia was about to turn on the garden pathway to head back to the tower when she felt a familiar rush of magic. The sorceress felt a set of arms wrap around her waist. Sofia turned so she could face Cedric, a smile glued to her face as she hugged him back.

_Yes, today is going to be a very good day indeed._

_**The end**_

**(A/N: I don't have anything ready to come up very soon. I do have a few story ideas that I'm hammering out, but they definitely are not ready to come out. I hope to have at least one of my ideas ready to come to light by the end of the year. So keep an eye out, but I make no promises. It may just be awhile yet before I post again.**

**Either way, happy reading to all of you and thanks for being so supportive and awesome!)**


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